The Panicking Lily
by Healing Hanyou
Summary: After the death of her parents,Mai Tokiha is left completely alone to take care of herself and Takumi. She is accepted into one of the best academies – Garderobe Academy. However,how will people around her affect her life choices?What will happen when she meets a crimson-eyed beauty and captures her attention? Focus on:Shizuru x Mai.
1. Disclaimer & Introduction to the story

**BEFORE READING THE FANFICTION NOVEL, READ THE DESCRIPTIVE PART AND DISCLAIMERS FIRST. I DON'T NEED PEOPLE GETTING ANGRY ABOUT THINGS THAT I WARNED THEM ABOUT ALREADY. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SUMMARY, OR THE PAIRINGS, OR ANYTHING ELSE, DON'T READ IT – I DON'T NEED THE ADDITIONAL ANGST. IF YOU WISH TO IGNORE THE DESCRIPTIVE PART, READ THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND DON'T YOU DARE TO COMPLAIN THAT YOU ''HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THINGS I DIDN'T WANT TO BE EXPOSED TO''. I WILL ALWAYS PUT A WARNING, NO EXCEPTIONS.**

**The Panicking Lily**

**Author:** HealingHanyou (Zweifel Marguerite on MM forums)

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** School, comedy, angst, drama, shoujo-ai, romance

**Status:** In-Progress

**Language:** English

**Type:** Fanfiction novel

**Series:** Mai-HiME/Otome AU.

**Summary:  
><strong>

After the death of her parents, Mai Tokiha is left completely alone to take care of herself and her little brother, Takumi. She applies for studies in a new school in order to make use of their scholarships. Mai is accepted into one of the best academies – Garderobe Academy, which is a start for a promising future. However, how will people around her affect her life choices? What will happen when she meets a charming, crimson-eyed beauty and captures her attention?

**Pairings/possible pairings:  
><strong>

Shizuru/Mai, Natsuki/Takeda, Haruka/Yukino, Midori/Yohko, Arika/Tomoe, Nina/Erstin, Chie/Sara, Aoi/Akira, Kazuya/Akane, Nao/Mikoto. More could appear later, it depends on circumstances this fanfic work will present. These are simply the basics I will try to implement somehow.

**Inspired by:** Strawberry Panic!

**Disclaimer:  
><strong>  
>OOC-ness everywhere.<p>

Also, contains shoujo-ai (female x female) pairings.

Slight possibility of shonen-ai as well.

If you do not like any of the genres mentioned, do not read this. You have been warned, continue reading at you own risk.

Chapters will be dividend in several parts, minimum is three, maximum is unspecified, it really depends on the lenght of the chapter, and that truly depends on my feelings (which are impossible to predict).

**Other warnings:**

Mistakes may occur here – English is not my first language, I don't speak it perfectly. I will correct the mistakes if you nicely inform me.

Also, mind the typos, please.  
>Comments like ''This genre is gross, you should be burned for writing this'' will be ingored. I have specified the genres and written dislaimers that warn you – if you don't like the genreany other thing, DO NOT READ. Nobody is forcing you to.

Everybody is pretty much OOC, so do not rant about that. This is an AU fanfic, so rarely anything will be true to the canons that show has created. Deal with it.


	2. Chapter 1: The wind of change (part 1)

**Chapter 1: A wind of change  
>(Part 1)<strong>

The blue water of a magnificent lake glistered mystically in the sunlight of an early afternoon. The light, reflected from the water, danced playfully through the leaves of trees around the lake, making interesting shadows on a stone brick pathway that led up a hill.

Mashiro Kazahana observed the majestic view of nature from her window in the Office. She had seen this kind of scene countless times – she has been a headmistress of academy complexes for years. There, near the little town, placed neatly near the lake, was an academy complex for boys, which consisted of 3 academies – Royal Academy of Windbloom, Garderobe Academy and Fuuka Academy. On top of the hill was the same complex of academies, only for girls.

She shifted a bit in her wheelchair and observed it all – the lake, the forest, the two academy buildings, the tiny church in the distance and the stone brick path, that connected the small town with both of the academy complexes, and noticed a person walking down the path towards her office.

Her Office was a separate building, and the person was heading just there. Mashiro sighed as she recognized the young woman walking down the path. She was wearing a school form of Garderobe – a perlamut white dress with a black jacket, her bright blond hair shining in the sunlight. A calm, yet concerned look could be seen on her face, and she had a habit of adjusting her glasses from time to time, making her look older than she actually was.

''Fumi,'' Mashiro called her maid. ''I think we have a guest. Please, prepare some tea.''

''Yes, Mashiro-sama,'' Fumi bowed politely and exited the room.

The school council presidents were frequent visitors to her Office building. The calm and smart, yet very shy Yukino Chrysant of Fuuka Academy and a complete opposite of her – fiery, very confident and overly dedicated Haruka Armitage of Royal Windbloom Academy. They came here to discuss all kinds of things with her, starting with the everyday life on their students and up to events in school and in the town which are somehow related with their precious academy complex. Yet very rarely they came on their own – usually they had a debate all three together. So, as she watched Sara enter the Office building, she wondered what the student council president of Garderobe wanted from her alone.

A few minutes later, the young, blond girl was sitting across her behind the table. Sara Gallagher smiled politely and took a sip of her tea.  
>''Welcome, Sara,'' Mashiro greeted her guest calmly. She had seen Sara countless times, and she knew that she was a person of trust. ''Why such a visit? Usually you always come with Yukino and Haruka.''<br>''Good afternoon. I am very confident that this is a matter of Garderobe,'' she replied. ''I am here to ask about our new transfer student, Mashiro-sama,'' Sara started the dialogue. ''I wanted to know if she has all the required documents filled and when is she arriving.''

Mashiro opened a drawer on her table and took out a folder with documents, opening it and handing to Sara. The blond girl nodded in appreciation and skimmed through the paper files, stopping to look at a photograph of the transfer student. Her name was Mai Tokiha. She had short, orange hair and lavender eyes. Sara smiled a bit – the girl in the photo was beautiful, despite the confused look in her eyes.

''All the documents are here,'' Mashiro commented. ''She informed that she will arrive today.''

Sara jumped a bit.

''Today?'' She was surprised.

''Yes, she has a dorm room specified and we have just received her luggage, so it should be fine. Akane Soir came here before you and picked her luggage. I trust that she will deliver it to their room and that she will also greet and inform the new student when she arrives.''

Sara sighed in relief. ''Then it's okay.'' She looked at the headmistress, who smiled politely in response. ''Should I prepare a school form for her?''

Mashiro-sama thought for a moment. ''I don't think it is necessary. She won't be attending lessons today, she should have plenty of time to find dorms and pick up her uniform. In addition, even though we have a full profile on her, nurse Yohko still wants to do a basic examination and re-measure her, so she can be sure, what kind of uniform does she need exactly. But I appreciate your eagerness to help, Sara. No wonder students have chosen you as the President of Garderobe student council.''

''Thank you, Mashiro-sama,'' Sara blushed a bit, clearly flustered by the fact that she has just been complimented by the headmistress herself. ''I am just doing what I can.''  
>''That is a lot,'' Mashiro commented, leaning slightly on the table. ''You are very concerned about everything that happens in Garderobe, even about the arrival of the transfer student.''<p>

''That is my duty, after all,'' Sara replied humbly, ''I want to make sure that she has no problems with the documents or her arrival, and I also have to introduce her to the place and make sure she is comfortable.''  
>She then stood up and bowed politely. ''That is all I wanted to know.''<p>

''Thank you for stopping by,'' Mashiro took the document folder back and put it in her drawer. ''Goodbye!''  
>Once Sara was outside, Mashiro rolled her wheelchair back to the usual spot beside the window. There she was, walking back slowly to the school buildings on top of the hill, her hair glistering in the sun. One more step, and Sara Gallagher disappeared behind a huge tree, leaving the path to academies empty. <p>

* * *

><p>The afternoon was very windy. The strong breeze was shaking the trees and creating waves in the nearby lake.<p>

Mai Tokiha examined the scenery for a while. She stood on a stone brick path up the hill, watching as cherry tree petals danced in the wind. The orange-haired girl smiled a little – it was so peaceful, almost idyllic. Even though she noticed crowds of students gathering around, the scenery was cheerful, it really suited her mood.

She was excited. Very excited. That was her first day here, and she already loved this place. A big school building on top of a hill, nearby lake and a little forest. The scenery was marvelous, and she was looking around, trying to guess which one of the different school forms will she have.

''_Those look so elegant,''_ Mai though as she passed a group of girls on her way that were dressed in a perlamut white dresses with long jackets on top.

''_And these! So cute!''_ She smiled when she noticed some of girls wearing light blue trousers and a long, white tunic with a silvery-striped jacket on top.

''_Ah, very beautiful...''_ Mai couldn't help herself to stop staring at some who had an elegant, crimson red skirt and a matching colour red vest decorated with some golden lines. It all seemed surreal, like a paradise of some sorts. She sighed in relief, very glad that she had the courage to come study here.

She was almost there, at the top. Mai stopped for a moment and turned around. The view was excellent, she could see miles from here. Across the lake was a tiny church, a stone brick path that connected the academy complex with the rest of the world, a small building bit lower down the hill to her right. She noticed a town in a distance with an academy building similar to this.

''_That has to be the academy complex Takumi studies in,''_ Mai thought, smiling. Takumi started to study in Fuuka Academy for boys just down the road at the start of this year. Mai stayed a little longer to work and earn money. Plus, it took some time to find someone who would buy their house. However, after she had sold the house, she hesitated no more. Mai transferred schools and now she was standing here, observing the scenery around her.

The sun was shining brightly, so Mai took off her scarf – it was getting way too hot. She stood on the stone brick path, looking at the school building, amazed by the view in front of her. Her hand that was holding the scarf slowly lowered itself in relaxation. Mai sighed peacefully.  
>The peace of the afternoon was blown away by the strong breeze. She had let her scarf loose, and now the wind was dancing with it playfully. As if suddenly awaken, Mai chased her scarf down the hill across the field to the lake.<p>

''H-Hey!'' She exclaimed, desperate to catch it. ''I should have been more careful,'' she mumbled to herself. It wasn't the best thing – to lose your stuff at the same moment you have just arrived.

Finally Mai found her precious scarf tangled on a branch of a tree near the lake. She sighed in relief, she was getting tired of chasing it. _''Just about time...'' _She thought. As Mai began to untangle the mess of the scarf, a hand reached to her scarf from behind a tree. Mai jumped and backed up a little, and only then she noticed a girl older than her standing there.

Hazel-haired girl carefully untangled her scarf and then turned to her, slowly approaching Mai. The short-haired redhead gasped a little – such elegance...and grace...Mai was completely captivated by the beauty of this unknown girl who just appeared out of nowhere. The girl was now in front of her and was looking at her with a curious look.

''I...'' Mai suddenly forgot how to make a sentence. ''I... I'm sorry...The wind...It blew off my scarf...so I came here...'' She blushed, lowering her eyes to the ground and stuttering at words, confused at her sudden embarrassment.

The girl stared at her with a bit of a surprised expression – apparently, she was standing by the tree and wasn't expecting a random exchange student to appear out of the blue, much less with such a ridiculously sounding explanation of her actions. However, she quickly regained her calm expression.

''Ara,'' the stranger spoke in almost angel-like voice, ''that happens.'' She smiled a polite and reassuring smile.

The lavender and the crimson met for a moment and locked each other's gaze. The hazelnut-haired girl examined Mai for a while, then stepped closer to her and wrapped the golden scarf around her shoulders. Mai felt like she should step back, or say something, but she couldn't – legs felt like they were made from stone, and she couldn't open her mouth to mutter a word to a beautiful girl around her age in front of her. All she could do was stand there and look at the stranger, who was smiling politely and looking back at her with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

''Ara, here you go.'' The smile of the crimson-eyed widened a bit, and they stood like this for a moment, looking at each other. Mai felt the unknown girl placing her hands on her waist, slightly pulling her forward. Again, Mai knew she had to react somehow – usually she wouldn't have hesitated to hit a random stranger who was trying to grab her waist. But she didn't move an inch, despite her mind nearly screaming that she had to do something.  
>A soft, delicate palm touched her cheek, and Mai looked up again – looked the slightly taller girl and stared in the wonderful crimson eyes that were barely a reach of a hand away. Hazel-haired stranger leaned closer to Mai, as if...as if trying to...<p>

Tokiha's eyes widened for a moment, before she closed them and passed out from a bit of a shock and embarrassment. 

* * *

><p><em>''Ugh...''<em> Mai Tokiha woke up on a bed, in a room she had never seen before in her life. It took some time for her eyes to adjust to the dim afternoon sun. She sat on the bed, making herself comfortable, and looked around. Only then she noticed a girl sitting beside her bed and staring at her with the biggest of interests imaginable. Mai shivered from that stare – it was so intense that she suddenly felt very, very, _very_ uncomfortable.

The short-haired girl, however, smiled the brightest smile possible, when she saw that Mai was finally awake.  
>''Oh! You're awake!'' the girl exclaimed excitedly, and Mai flinched a bit at the sound of her voice – she was being very loud. The girl noticed the reaction of Mai, so she calmed herself.<br>''I am very sorry,'' she apologized.  
>''How do you feel?'' She asked with a bit of concern in her voice.<p>

''Ugh...I guess I am fine...Where am I?'' Mai looked around worriedly. _''Was it all just a dream? No...that can't be..Arriving here...What happened?''_

''You are in a hospital of our academy complex,'' the brown-haired interrupted her thoughts. ''We found you lying unconscious on the ground in the nearby forest just by the lake.'' She shook her head, examining her closely. ''Miss Helene said that you will be fine, you weren't injured or anything.''

''_Huh?.'' _Mai thought confusedly._ ''What happened back ther-''_  
>And the she remembered it. Looking at the beautiful scenery and letting her golden scarf loose...chasing it like an insane maniac down the hill...trying to untangle it...meeting with the hazel-haired girl, who made her feel like she had never had a conversation in her whole life... And she remembered the eyes...The crimson red eyes of the girl staring at her...<br>Mai blushed a tiny bit.  
><em>'' It wasn't a dream, then.''<em> The scarf chasing and meeting the angel-like girl with crimson eyes actually happened.

''Thank you...emm...'' Mai stared at the strange girl.

''Akane. Akane Soir,'' she chirped happily at Mai.

''Thank you, Soir-san,'' Mai thanked the girl. ''But, ugh...were you here the whole time while I was sleeping?''

Akane nodded.

''Why?''

Soir-san raised a curious eyebrow at Mai.

''I-I mean...'' Mai stuttered for a while, ''I am grateful for that, but...what about your lessons? You must have missed some of them because of me...''

Akane sat there with a surprised expression on her face, then she started giggling which caused Mai to blush in embarrassment.

''_Did I just say something incredibly stupid...?''_

''You worry too much, Mai-san,'' Akane stopped giggling and now was back to her cheerful self. ''The lessons were already over, and I thought you would feel extremely lonely and confused if you woke up here all alone, so I waited,'' she smiled an adorable smile at Mai.

''Thank you...'' Mai thought for a moment. ''How do you know my name, Soir-san?'' She hesitated before asking, fearing that Akane might burst into thousand giggles...again.

Akane smiled at her.  
>''The student council president of Garderobe, Sara Gallagher, informed us that we are expecting a new transfer student named Mai Tokiha. Since nobody has seen you before, I assumed it was you.''<p>

''Ah, that's why.''

''Yes,'' Akane continued. ''Now, Mai-san, If you feel okay, I will show your dorm room.

''Not before I measure her,'' Akane and Mai turned their heads at the door where a dark-haired woman was standing.

''Ah, Miss Helene,'' Akane greeted her politely, ''good afternoon.''

''Drop that ''Miss Helene'', please,'' the school nurse sighed, ''just Yohko-san is fine. I don't need another Miss Maria ''missing'' everyone else in this school.''

Akane giggled at the last statement. ''Okay, Yohko-san. This is Mai-chan. She is the new transfer student at Garderobe.'' Akane pointed at Mai, as if suddenly remembering about her existence.

''Yeah, that much I know,'' Yohko smiled a reassuring smile, ''now, let's get you measured.'' 


	3. Chapter 1: The wind of change (part 2)

**Chapter 1: The wind of change**

**(Part 2)**

''Wow, your size is very impressive,'' Akane commented, as they were walking in the halls of academy. Mai blushed at that statement. For some mysterious reason, Akane wrote down all of Mai's measurements, and she was way too impressed with the proportions of the certain areas of Mai's body...

''Yeah, _they_ are the biggest problem,'' Mai replied, clearly embarrassed. ''It's hard to find anything that fits me because of _them._''

Akane smiled a cheerful smile.

''Don't worry, Mai-chan, we have school forms of various sizes, so you don't have to be so stressful about it.''

Mai felt like she has just been snapped back into reality. She had completely forgotten about the fact that she needs to pick her school uniform and, deeply inside, she was glad Akane reminded her of that.

''Um...I will have the same uniform as you do, right? You are a student of Garderobe,'' Mai asked.

''Yes,'' Akane replied.

The perlamut dress really suited Akane, it made a nice contrast with her brown hair, and the black jacket added more elegance to the overall look. Mai examined the uniform closely, until Akane noticed it.

''Hmmm? Is something wrong, Mai-chan? Do you not like it?'' Akane asked with concern. Mai shook her head in response.

''No, no, that's not it,'' she said, ''it is very beautiful. It suits you, Soir-san.'' Mai smiled shyly at Akane.

The girl smiled back at her. ''Thank you, and please, call me Akane-chan. We are dorm mates, after all.''

Mai blinked at the last statement. ''Huh? Y-You mean, roommates?''

Akane nodded. ''Mhmm.''

''Took me a while to realize.''

Akane just giggled at that. ''I received your luggage today, so it should be fine. Now we just need to get your school uniform.''

Mai nodded.

''I bet Mai-chan looks super adorable in a school uniform,'' Akane smiled a wide grin that the Cheshire Cat himself could envy. Mai sweatdropped.

''Actually,'' she started, ''I've never had a school uniform before.''

''Really?'' Akane sounded confused. ''Well, now is your chance to fix that! We are almost there. Good afternoon, Gallagher-oneesama!'' The brown-haired girl chirped happily and waved a cheerful hand to a person down the hallway. Mai shifted her stare in that direction.

A pretty girl of a grace that Mai had rarely seen in any people she had met in her life was walking down the hallway, deeply in thoughts. Upon hearing the excited ''Good afternoon, Gallagher-oneesama!'' from Akane, she looked at her with a bit of an intense stare. She did relax instantly though, after recognizing the local giggling girl.

''Ah, Akane-chan,'' now the mysterious Gallagher-oneesama stood right in front of them, dressed in the same school uniform as Akane. Her eyes examined Akane, and then she turned her gaze to Mai, who was standing next to her roommate, slightly confused as to what should she do.

''I am taking Mai-chan to pick up her uniform,'' Akane said cheerfully.

The newly met girl turned to Mai.

''Good afternoon,'' Mai greeted her politely.

Sara Gallagher smiled a reassuring smile at her.

''It's nice to meet you, Tokiha-chan,'' she said. ''I see that Akane is not wasting time and is showing you around this place already.''

Mai nodded.

''She is indeed very eager to tell me everything she can.''

''Well,'' Akane started, ''a duty of a roommate must be fulfilled!''

Gallagher let out a little laugh, clearly amused by Akane and her acts.

''You make me very proud, Akane.''

The brown-haired girl blushed at the compliment.

''It's nothing much, really, Gallagher-oneesama...I am very honoured...''

_''Wow...''_ Mai thought. _''It seems like Akane-chan respects this Gallagher-oneesama person very much, whoever she is.''_

Sara looked back at Mai.

''I should introduce myself,'' she said in a calm voice. ''My name is Sara Gallagher, and I am the student council president of Garderobe Academy. I know pretty much everything about what is happening at the school, so if you are in need of some guidance or if you are experiencing some troubles, come and see me, and we will think of a solution.''

''Thank you very much...'' Mai thought a bit before saying the rest, ''Gallagher-oneesama.''

Sara sighed.

''Do not act like Akane, please,'' she said. ''I am her mentor, and she is taking it way too seriously. It's fine to call me Sara-oneesama since everybody else does it.''

''One must always respect her mentor,'' Akane bowed slightly, and that left Mai wondering what kind of system does this school have.

''And it's fine that you know it, but still – I feel old as the world when people call me by fancy names. I am glad that you haven't decided to call me Miss Gallagher yet,'' Sara sighed. ''But enough of that.''

She looked at the watch on her hand. ''It's not that much time left, and you have a lot to do, girls. Mai still hasn't seen her room, and you'll need time to prepare since I would very much approve if Mai-chan arrived to the dinner wearing a school uniform. I am counting on you, Akane!''

Akane saluted her mentor, which made Sara sweatdrop.

''On my way!'' Akane grabbed Mai's hand excitedly and dragged her along. ''We'll be on our way, Gallagher-oneesama!''

''Goodbye, Sara-oneesama!'' Mai barely had time to say goodbye to the Garderobe council president.

Sara stood still for a moment, thinking.

_''Akane sure is very eager...''_ she thought, a light smile appearing on her lips. _''I hope she won't be too intrusive or bothersome to the new transfer student...''_

The sound of footsteps approaching woke her up from her thoughts and made her light and cheerful smile to fade away. She turned around to meet a girl approaching her. The hazel-haired beauty recognized the blonde, so she slowed her walking speed, until she stopped in front of her. The crimson-coloured eyes stared at Sara calmly, but with a hint of amusement.

''Ara,'' the hazel-haired started, ''it's a pleasant surprise to meet you, Sara-oneesama, on a peaceful afternoon like this.''

Sara examined the girl standing in front of her.

''Where are you going, Shizuru?'' she asked while staring intensely at her.

''Oi,'' Shizuru sighed, ''being intrusive is not very polite, you know...'' she added.

Sara blushed, just a tiny bit. The anger was suddenly starting to fill her veins.

''I am not being intrusive, I am being concerned,'' she said, trying to keep it as calm as possible.

''Oh? Why of the sudden?'' Shizuru replied, still looking at Sara with a hint of amusement.

''Because I don't want you to be skipping events that is your duty to attend,'' Sara said, a bit of anger showing in her voice. _''Who do you think you are?''  
><em>''Ara, what kind of event are we having?''

Sara started to get annoyed. _''Why do I always have to remind her of her duties?''_

''I don't know if you noticed,'' she started with a hint of sarcasm, ''but today we have the first dinner of the semester, and you are supposed to be there, greeting the new students and presenting a speech, like usual.''

Shizuru sighed and smiled slightly.

''You do not need to remind me of an event I am actually interested in attending, for once.''

That reply took Sara by surprise. She looked up to see a serious Shizuru for a change.

''We have a bunch of interesting faces. I am very curious to see them.''

''That can't be the reason,'' Sara stated with confidence. ''We have new students arriving every year, yet you are never interested.''

''Ah, but previous years we didn't have such interesting transfer students,'' Shizuru smiled and started to walk away.

Sara was left dumbfounded. She turned to Shizuru, who was now at the corner of the hallway.

''What is your problem with her?'' she asked worriedly.

Shizuru looked at Sara and chuckled.

''Nothing,'' she replied amusedly, ''I am just very...curious.''

With that said, she disappeared from the sight.

Sara was left standing there, confusedly staring at the place Shizuru was standing just a moment ago.

_''What in the flipping world was that all about just now?''_

* * *

><p>Akane was taking Mai on a school tour.<p>

''It's important not to get lost here, Mai-chan.''

Mai nodded.

''Say, Akane-chan...''

''Yes?'' the girl stopped and looked at Mai, expecting any question.

''Is it normal for one school to have three different uniforms?'' Mai asked, feeling a little dumb.

Akane looked back at her, very confused.

''What do you mean by- oh!'' she exclaimed as if a sudden wave of realization had hit her. ''I see what you mean,'' and she exploded into thousand little giggles once more.

''D-did I ask something weird...?'' Mai began to question.

''No, it's fine,'' Akane had stopped giggling and was now smiling calmly. ''It's 3 different academies, you see.''

''Three?'' Now Mai was even more confused than ever. ''But we have been walking around the same building all the time...''

''Not really,'' Akane started. ''You see, it is a single building, that's why we were able to walk around here very easily. Now that we're outside, you will probably notice that it's a U-shaped building, and each side of it is built differently.''

Mai looked around. They were standing on an open bridge balcony, which connected the two upper floors in a strange way.

''You are right,'' she concluded after looking at the building for a while. It was indeed U-shaped, as Akane had told her, and each side was done differently. The middle part resembled a Gothic-like building. They were standing on a Greek-inspired type of building. Across here, Mai could perfectly observe the third part of the building, and it vaguely reminded her of a classic mansion type house.

''Why is that?'' she asked, turning back to Akane.

''Years ago, this town was quite big, and had 3 separate academies – The Royal Windbloom, The Fuuka and The Garderobe. Sadly, people have been going away, so the number of students decreased a lot. Academies weren't able to sustain themselves, so they united into an academy complex. Fuuka was located near the town,'' Akane pointed out. ''The old building now hosts an academy for boys.''

''_That's the one Takumi is in!''_ Mai thought.

''Royal Academy was down the other side of the hill, and they owned a stadium. It's still there and is maintained. Garderobe was located here, it is the original Gothic building in the middle, and it owns the students dorms. So, it was beneficial to merge these academies into one. They kept the stadium and the dorms, each school kept their uniform, and they added two more parts to this building for Royal Academy and Fuuka, and they are the exact copies of the original buildings. They did the same for the boys, only they located their academy complex very close to the town, where the original Fuuka was,'' Akane ended her speech.

''So that's the reason...'' Mai sighed. ''Sorry, that was very, very confusing to me, I apologize – you had to explain everything...''

''It's fine to be curious about those kind of things,'' Akane replied happily. ''That shows you are interesting, which is probably a good thing.''

Mai nodded.

''I guess so.''

''We don't really have a lot of time left,'' Akane sighed, looking at her watch, ''I didn't show you all of the school, and we still need to dress you up...''

''Oh, Akane, it's okay,'' Mai smiled reassuringly, ''I am sure I will see the rest of the school tomorrow, since I will finally be attending it!'' She exclaimed happily, which made Akane giggle in adoration.

''Shall we head to the dorm room then?''

''Yes!'' Mai replied. ''I want to put on the uniform, after all, and I need to unpack my suitcases as well.'' She opened her bag and looked at the neatly packed uniform inside it.

''Then let's go! What are we even waiting for?'' Akane nearly shouted, eager as ever, and she started running towards the dormitory.

''Hey, wait for me! I don't want to get lost, it's important – you said it yourself!'' Mai shouted as she began a chase after her silly roommate.

She received a million of happy giggles in return.


	4. Chapter 1: The wind of change (part 3)

**Chapter 1: The wind of change  
>(Part 3)<strong>

''Here we go!'' Akane opened the door to their room. Mai examined her surroundings almost instantly. The room wasn't large, but it had two beds, two wardrobes and two study desks, which left a plenty of space for two girls. Mai knew she wouldn't take up much space, and Akane seemed like a very organised person. Mai looked around some more and noticed another door, presumably to a little bathroom.

''This is very nice, actually,'' Mai started. The grayish-green colour of the walls was very calming, the floor was made of dark wood with a large green carpet covering the area near the beds. Two suitcases and a bag were placed near one of the beds. Mai assumed it was her luggage.

''So, I will be taking this side of the room then?'' Mai asked while sitting on her bed.

''We can switch, if you want,'' Akane replied. ''I have been occupying this part of the room so far, but...''

''No, no, no, it's fine!'' Mai waved her hands nervously. ''I was just asking, Akane-chan.''

She picked up the bag from the floor and opened it. Inside of it she found the bag she bought specifically for school, neatly packed towels and bottles of shampoo and some other small things she found useful enough to take here. Both suitcases were mostly full with clothes – since she had sold the house, she took every single piece of clothing that was still usable. Anything else that was in good condition but wasn't possible to bring here (such as TV, most of her books, furniture, carpets) was transported to her aunt's house, and aunt Lena had promised to take good care of all of her things. In all honesty, Mai was very thankful to her aunt, whose name was Lena since her mom and dad passed away earlier this year, Mai was left completely alone to sustain a family consisting of her and her brother, Takumi. He lived with aunt Lena while Mai was working extra and trying to sell the house, and trying to fill in the necessary documents to get into the respective academies. It all finally worked out with a great help of her aunt and her cousin Arika, who made sure that Takumi had a fun summer and is prepared for the first year of academy.

Mai thought for a little while.

_''Isn't Arika the same age as Takumi? If Takumi started the first year of academy, does that mean she will be starting the first year here?''_ It all made sense, it was a hometown to Arika, after all, and Mai couldn't think of a reason why aunt Lena would want to sent her child to a different academy rather than the one she attended herself.

''Mai-chan?'' Her thoughts of brothers and cousins were interrupted by a concerned voice of Akane.

''Y-Yes...?'' she looked back at her new friend, who seemed a bit worried.

''Did I interrupt you thinking of something important?'' Akane frowned.

''Not really,'' Mai sighed.

''You just seem very...like...you know...like something is bothering you, and I feel like a pest when I'm trying to ask.''

Mai was shocked to hear that.

''Ah, no, Akane-chan! You're not bothering me by any means!'' she exclaimed loudly, and now was Akane's turn to be shocked. ''I was thinking about my family. My brother started his studies in the academy down the road, and I am sure my cousin will appear here as a student as well.''

Akane sighed with relief.

''So that was it...I thought you wanted to be alone for a second.''

''It's all fine, really,'' Mai smiled. ''You worry about me very much, Akane-chan.''

The brown-haired girl let a slight smile appear on her lips.

''Well, I've never had a room mate, so I'm both nervous and excited,'' she replied, standing up from her bed and taking a comb in her hands.

''The same story here,'' Mai thought for a moment. ''How come you don't share a room with anyone?''

A glint of sadness appeared in her roommate's eyes.

_''I probably shouldn't have asked that,''_ Mai instantly thought. She now felt guilty, as if she had asked a very inappropriate question.

''Well, we can only live with the same year students as us, and my year had an uneven amount of students, so somebody was bound to live alone in a room for two students,'' she replied. Akane continued after a moment. ''...I was supposed to live with Shiho Huit, but the girl is from the Royal Windbloom and is very vain, so of course she refused to live with anyone who didn't meet her standards.''

Mai raised a curious eyebrow. ''And you didn't?'' She asked while unpacking her new uniform.

''Not really,'' Akane sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. ''First of all, I study in Garderobe, not in Royal Windbloom. Secondly, she has an unchangeable opinion that I am very annoying.''

''That is not true!'' Mai exclaimed angrily.

''Maybe,'' Akane watched as Mai carefully unfolded her set of school clothes,''but she didn't want to even hear about living with me. And I don't have many other friends, so I ended up by myself.'' She then stopped for a moment.

''Let me help with putting that on, it has layers and is tricky to figure out at first,'' Akane said.

''I would be thankful, Akane-chan,'' Mai accepted the offer. She then took off everything except her underwear and started to put on thighs, while watching as Akane sorted out the layers of her form.

''Here, take the underskirt,'' Akane handed her a white piece of fabric. Mai gently took it and examined. It was a simple, white underskirt, nothing special about that. She put that on and adjusted it.

''Is this right?''

''Seems about right,'' Akane looked at her and handed her a dress piece. ''Here you go.''

She helped Mai to put the short-sleeved, perlamut beige dress on and helped to button a row of white buttons on the back of the dress.

''And now – the layer of lace,'' Akane also helped to put on the long-sleeved dress layer of thin, elegant, perlamut white lace. ''We secure it with a white belt, so it stays it place,'' Akane placed a white belt around Mai's waist and tied it into a cute bow on the back.

''Is that it?'' Mai examined herself in the mirror.

''Here is the jacket,'' orange-haired girl took the jacket offered by Akane and put that on. She loved the overall look.

''You are so lovely!'' Akane squealed, and Mai blushed at the sudden excitement of Akane.

''Thank you...'' she quietly replied.

Akane fixed her collar. ''The collar of the second layer dress has to go above the lace,'' she then tied an elegant, red bow around her neck.

''There, you're good to go,'' she said proudly, examining Mai.

''It does take a while to put on.''

''Well,'' Akane said, ''it's very much worth it.''

''Indeed it is!'' Mai agreed with her sincerely.

She walked around the room for a moment, feeling happy that she owned a pair of nice, black, low-heel shoes with lacy bows to go with this outfit. Mai really felt like she was truly a young lady – when wearing an outfit of this beauty, one must act accordingly and radiate a glow of elegance and beauty herself.

''Do you mind if I opened the window?'' she asked politely.

Akane didn't mind at all, so Mai opened the window in their room wide and looked at the view beneath her. She was living on the third floor of the dorms, plus it was located on top of the hill, so the girl could see the nearby scenery as if it was on the palm of her hand. The building of academies looked very majestic, and Mai couldn't wait to actually study there. An amazing view of nature scenery around the place set a romantic mood, especially in such a dim late afternoon light. Mai breathed in the fresh air from the nearby forest – this day and all her life suddenly felt light and free, and her spirit was very happy in this newly found home of hers.

Tokiha heard a couple of footsteps on the ground below her. The curiosity was too huge to hold, so she leaned a bit forward to see who was walking below, and she nearly fell out of the window.

''M-Mai-chan...?'' Akane asked, staring at her with concern.

Dressed in a purple dress with a golden lace dress layer on top and a black jacket with shoes to go together with it, the hazel-haired stranger was walking across the courtyard of the dorms. She was walking slowly and calmly, like there was nothing else in this world like her, and there truly wasn't anything that could rival the grace and elegance of this crimson-eyed beauty.

As if suddenly realizing something, the girl dressed in the most beautiful dress in the world stopped and looked around, confused. Moments later, she raised her gaze, and her eyes met the beautiful lavender orbs that were looking at her from the window on the third floor.

_''Do something!Look away, dumbass!''_ Mai was trying to look away even for a split second, but it felt like it was impossible to turn away from the intense crimson eyes that were looking at her. She tried to reach out her hand, and her mouth opened in a desperate try to shout – or even say – something _**(anything!)**_ to the girl, but no sound escaped her mouth.

Shizuru observed Mai, clearly taken aback with the reaction of the fire-haired girl. _''How adorable...''_ She regained her usual calmness. _''What an interesting person she is...''_ Shizuru thought to herself. She then gracefully turned to continue walking away.

''W-wait!'' she heard a muttered scream coming from the same window she was just looking at.

Mai had gathered all her courage to call the girl, but she didn't have an idea what to say to her next. The hazel-haired turned her head back with a slight smile playing on her lips. She waved at Mai, and the lavender-eyed could have sworn the stranger winked at her playfully.

_''Have I lost my mind...?''_

With that thought on her mind, Mai watched the beautiful girl continue walking away and disappearing around the corner of a school building. She lowered her hand and closed her mouth, and turned back to face an utterly shocked Akane with her mouth slightly open in shock.

''Mai-chan...'' she started slowly. Mai didn't even want to hear the rest.

''What in the world was that just now?'' Akane asked, still in shock from the whole scene.

Mai panicked a bit. She always knew she was a weird type of girl, but she wanted to make friends here, not having her roommate think that she is absolutely insane.

''Akane-chan, I am very sorry,'' Mai waved her hands nervously. ''I just...I...''

''_How the fuck do I explain THIS kind of situation?!'' _she asked herself furiously.

''I-I...I thought I saw someone familiar walking out there!''

''S-Someone...familiar...?'' Akane's eyes appeared to widen with every word Mai said to her. This was getting ridiculous!

''Y-You know...my aunt lives in this town..." Mai started.

''...Y-Yes?...'' Akane didn't seem to follow. At all.

''I told you about my cousin earlier...the one who would start her studies here...?'' Mai mumbled.

''Oh!'' It appears that Akane had just hopped on the thought train. ''You thought it was her?''

Mai nodded.

_''That is such a dumb story, Tokiha...you should be ashamed of something like that...''_ her brain complained.

''_**How in the world do I explain to my newly met roommate that I lose my mind when I see a random girl I don't know and I feel like talking to her without a solid reason?!''**_ Mai angried back. Her brain didn't respond.

''Why didn't you shout her name?'' Akane wouldn't stop questioning.

''Because...that would have been embarrassing...if I shouted her name and it wasn't actually her?'' Mai sounded unconvincing as ever.

''Makes sense,'' Akane responded after a moment of thinking.

Mai barely kept in control her urge to drop dead on the floor.

_''Seriously, Akane?! You fell for THAT of all things?! No way!''_

Mai somehow calmed her down. She thought for a little while.

''I am very sorry, Akane-chan. I made you so worried...''

''I was worried for a moment there...'' Akane replied. ''You leaned forward so suddenly, and then you were so shocked by something I thought you were going to fall out of the window...''

''I am not THAT reckless,'' Mai commented.

''That is probably true, Mai-chan,'' Akane said, ''but nonetheless – you scared me quite a bit there.''

''I am sorry, it won't happen again.''

It didn't take long for Mai to emerge into the realm of thoughts again. She looked back outside the window, thinking about the picturesque scenery and the mysterious girl that kept popping up in her first day in this place. The memory of the early afternoon materialized in her head, and she blushed again.

_''Did she really...kiss me back there?''_ Mai thought as she touched her sensitive lips with her fingertips. She could vaguely remember a warm, tingling sensation on them...and intense, crimson eyes getting closer and closer...

Mai tried to forcefully interrupt her thoughts, but they kept reappearing again. The image of an angel-like girl haunted her like a ghost. _''That was probably my first kiss, and I am not even sure it all actually happened...''_ she sighed very quietly.

''I have to speak to her. I have to ask...or, at least, thank her for the scarf and get to know her name...''  
>She turned around in the room. Akane was packing her school bag for tomorrow. ''Akane-chan?'' Mai started.<p>

''Yes?'' Akane looked up to her.

''...Do you mind if I go outside for a walk?''

''Do you want to go somewhere?'' Akane observed her with a curious look. ''I am just about finished with collecting my things! I will escort you, Mai-chan!''

''Ah, that is not necessary, Akane-chan,'' Mai tried to calm down her eagerness. ''I just wanted to walk in the courtyard for a moment. I haven't called my aunt or my brother, I should probably do that, or else they will be worried.''

''I see...'' Akane replied. ''Well, the courtyard is fine, you can't really get lost in this area unless you go to the forest or the lake,'' she continued. ''I hope you don't plan to do that.''

''Is it forbidden?'' Mai was surprised to hear that.

''Not at all,'' Akane replied, ''but you're new here, and the curfew hour is near. They close the gates at six, so everyone must be within school premises then. We get into a lot of trouble if we are late.''

''They are that strict?''

''Very strict,'' Akane looked with a concerned expression on her face. ''Miss Maria is the only one with gate keys, and she would give you a lecture if you are late,'' she sighed as if experienced it on her own. ''But you can go if you wish. Just make sure to back at six, so we can go to the dinner which is at half-past six.''

''Of course! I will be back in no time, Akane-chan!'' Mai grabbed her bag and opened the door. She waved a hand at Akane and stepped outside the room, closing the door gently behind her.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's note:<span> And that is it for the first chapter! I hope you have enjoyed it. I have started to work on Chapter 2 already, so keep your eyes out for that in the nearest future! **


	5. Chapter 2: Troublesome (part 1)

**AN: Before I start the chapter, I would like to thank everybody who has read my story so far! I am honestly surprised (in the good sense of this word) by the nice reviews I have gotten and still get on this weird story of mine. I am usually mocked or hated for not liking ShizNat and for liking something else, so I didn't expect such support from everyone!  
>Secondly, I hope that you all have noticed that this story now has its own cover image! No art is owned by me, I just simply messed around in photoshop.<br>Thirdly, a lot of you leave reviews to this story, and a lot of you are guests. Unfortunately, I can't respond to them here (even though I read and appreciate them all!), so I highly encourage to visit the Mai-Multiverse forum, where I have a separate discussion thread for this story! If you leave you comments to the story here: Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome Multiverse Forum (I can't post links) = ''Mai-Multiverse fanfiction archive and forum'' section = The Panicking Lily thread, it's 100% guaranteed that I will respond to it. No registration is necessary to comment there, but, to keep touch with me regularly, you might consider joining Mai-Multiverse community, since I spend most of my time there (Zweifel Marguerite). :)  
>Thank you and enjoy! <strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Troublesome<br>(Part 1)**

The orange-haired girl rushed down the stairs hurriedly, slowing her pace when she exited the dormitory door. Mai was now standing in the front yard of the dormitories. She examined her surroundings as she tried to catch her breath from the insane running down the stairs just a couple of moments ago.  
><em>''Why did I even run like a maniac?''<em> she thought before calming herself.

''_Now, the million dollar question – where did she disappear to?''_ Mai asked herself and started to walk on the path that led to the school building. She turned around the corner of it and sighed.

''_Now I feel very stupid...''_

Mai closed her eyes briefly. Could she have gone beyond the gates? Or maybe she was just taking a walk and now was back at school or in her room... Mai honestly had no idea.

''_Who is she anyway?''_ The image of the girl appeared in her mind again. _''She even has some sort of special uniform dress... Maybe she is the student council president of some other school? But Sara-oneesama wears the uniform of Garderobe... maybe it's different in other schools?''_ she kept questioning herself, even though she didn't have a single answer to any of those questions.

Tokiha opened her eyes and let them adjust back to the late afternoon sun. She then looked around again, when she noticed something from the corner of her eye that caught her attention. She turned her head in that direction – Mai was now looking at the path beyond the side gates that led down the side of the hill towards the lake, through the forest section. She saw a silhouette dressed in purple and golden disappear in the shade of trees, and Tokiha noticed the unmistakable glint of hazel hair, glistering in the sun.

''_T-That person! There she is!"_ Mai didn't even give her actions a second thought. She ran up to the gate – it was left open. She pushed it open with her hand and closed it behind her, starting to follow the mysterious beauty with a quickening pace.

''_Where is she going anyway? It's almost the dinner time!''_ She thought worriedly.

* * *

><p>Closing the gate slightly behind her, Shizuru sighed as she started to walk up a path leading to the lake. The rays of late afternoon sun were playing with the branches and leaves of threes, making weird, strange shadows on the old stone brick pathway. She quietly examined the scenery. The calm lake in the distance and the forest peace triggered some memories in her mind.<p>

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><p><em>They were sitting next to the lake, enjoying the late afternoon sun. Shizuru smiled as she observed a girl sitting next to her, that was sitting next to her with her feet dipped in the mildly cold water of the lake. The navy-haired girl was playing with her toes, observing the calm water with her gaze, relaxed on this beautiful day. She then turned her head slightly to Shizuru, her bright, green eyes taking notice of hazel-haired examining her, which made a smile appear on her lips in slight amusement.<em>

_''Am I that interesting, dear Patroness?'' she asked, and Shizuru replied with a chuckle to that._

''_You are indeed a very amusing bird, Natsuki-chan,'' she told peacefully to her conversation partner._

_ A slight pout appeared on the face of the navy-haired._

''_I am not a bird, yet alone an amusing one,'' a slight tone of irritation could be heard in her voice. She then relaxed again, stretching her stiff arms and legs._

''_I am not even that interesting to begin with.''_

''_I could argue about that,'' Shizuru replied flirtatiously, and Natsuki couldn't help but roll eyes at the quirkiness of her best friend. _

''_Probably you could, no doubt about that,'' Natsuki said._

''_You are very relaxed. I am happy to see that.'' Shizuru continued to speak._

_ Natsuki shifted her pose a little bit and looked back at the crimson-eyed best friend of hers._

''_Indeed,'' she nodded in agreement. ''School has been getting on my nerves lately, it's so stressful. It's nice to finally have time to do nothing in particular.''_

''_Yes, the place is peaceful as the heaven itself,'' Shizuru agreed._

''_Mhmm,'' Natsuki hummed. ''I haven't been spending much time with you, and I haven't been able to get to the town to see anybody else as well,'' her cheeks were painted in a slightly pink tone when she muttered the last part._

_ The body of the hazel-haired tensed upon hearing the sentence, and she clenched her fingers in a tight fist. _

''_**Somebody else, huh?..''**__ she drifted in thought, and appeared back in reality when Natsuki snapped her fingers in front of her face. She was now standing beside her, brushing her bare, wet feet against the soft grass and holding her shoes in her hand._

''_Shizuru, are you coming or are you going to continue wondering through your fantasy land?'' Natsuki asked impatiently._

_Shizuru stood up and adjusted her dress. ''I am coming, dear,'' she replied, still partially in thoughts._

''_**Somebody else...''**_

* * *

><p>Shizuru slowly stopped. Afternoon sun dances through the leaves of tall trees, as if trying to wash away her sadness that sudden memories had brought to her. All she could do was stand there, on the gray stone brick path leading through the forest and look directly in front of her, where the lake glistered with wonderful tones of afternoon orange colour of sun.<p>

Her peace was interrupted by a sound of a little branch breaking under someone's foot, and it was coming from behind her. Started by the unexpected sound, Shizuru turned her head around to face the new transfer student staring at her with a look of concern and confusion.

Mai stood there without moving. The hazel-haired was staring back at her with a startled look, so Mai didn't dare to move, fear she might scare the beautiful girl off. She blushed as she noticed Shizuru relaxing slightly and looking back at her now with a curious look, her lips forming a slightly sad smile.

Then, completely out of blue and with an unimaginable speed, the crimson-eyed turned around and started to run down the path to the lake. It took Mai a couple of seconds to even understand what in the world happened right before her eyes, but when she finally gathered herself together, she didn't hesitate and started to chase the hazel-haired girl once more.

* * *

><p>Mai sprinted down the path until she reached the lake. She barely stopped herself from falling into the lake. After the moment of recollecting herself, she looked around her, hoping to see the mysterious girl.<p>

But nobody was there.

Tokiha blinked in confusion. _''Huh?''_ She was following the girl here, and now she had lost her once more. _''How does she manage to do that?''_ Mai kept asking herself.

She looked around one more time, hoping to see the strange girl hiding in the shadows nearby and teasingly observing her, but not a single soul of a human was preset there.

''_Weird...''_ she then swapped back to reality and took the phone out of her bag just to find out she was already running late.

''No way! How did it took me so much time to get here?!'' Tokiha exclaimed and started sprinting back to the academy building.


	6. Chapter 2: Troublesome (part 2)

**Chapter 2: Troublesome**

**(Part 2)**

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><p><strong>AN: First and foremost, I have to apologize to everyone for not updating this fiction work for almost a month. School is bringing me a lot of headache, I spent last month preparing for the token evening (which was great, if someone is wondering) – we had to prepare a movie AND a performance involving singing and dancing. So it was not easy. Upcoming exams are not helping with the stress either, plus I am preparing for IELTS intensively. So every single one of my projects is going very slowly, including this fanfiction thing. Now I have a bit more time, but again I don't promise chapters regularly. Now even I have no idea when the next chapter will appear. This is the part 2 of Chapter 2, and the part 3 (and final part) of Chapter 2 is getting done, so that will appear (hopefully) soon.<strong>

**UPDATE: Good news! I have my computer back, and it's fully fixed. Even more – it has all of my files still on it, which means that I am replacing this chapter with a better version of it that I had made before but had no access to. I hope that you will enjoy it!**

* * *

><p>Akane observed the clock worriedly in her room. <em>''Mai-chan still hasn't returned?'<em>' she stood up from her bed where she was sitting for the past 40 minutes, reading ''Hamlet'' for the literature lesson. Soir walked to the window and leaned out to examine the front yard, but no trace of Mai was to be seen. As Akane sighed, she heard the tiny church nearby and the church across the lake ringing their heavy bells, indicating the arrival of the sixth hour.

''That is not good...That is really not good!'' She panicked and closed the window. Without further hesitation, she ran outside of her room, locking the door and putting the key in her pocket.

* * *

><p>''<em>I am in so much trouble now!''<em> Mai thought as she reached the already closed gate. She touched the cold metal bars with her fingers, miraculously hoping that they would open, even though she just saw the automated gate closing before her eyes. Tokiha sighed heavily.

''_What am I going to do?!''_ She panicked.

''Mai-chan!'' she heard a familiar voice shout her name. Upon lifting her eyes, she saw Akane, running as fast as she could to the main gate where Mai was standing.

''Akane-chan!'' Mai shouted, her voice trembling. Soir was standing in front of her.

''Mai-chan!'' Akane looked at her angrily. ''I told you about the curfew hour! Why didn't you stay inside the premises?''

''I'm sorry!'' Mai was losing her nerves. Akane took notice of that.

''I will call oneesama,'' she said and sighed. ''That will mean a lot of trouble for you, but I don't really have a choice...''

''Thank you...'' Mai whispered quietly, handing Akane her phone through the metal bars of the gate. She watched Akane as she dialed the number of Sara Gallagher.

''Gallagher-oneesama,'' she spoke to the council president. ''Could you...bring the gate key? ... Yes, I understand that it would mean trouble, and Miss Maria is going to be angry, but please... Thank you very much, Gallagher-oneesama. We will be waiting.''

''They will be here in a minute,'' the brown-haired girl handed the phone back to its respective owner. ''I hope it'll be fine...''

* * *

><p>''Such a shame...'' Miss Maria said. ''You just transferred here, and you've already broken the curfew!''<p>

''I'm very sorry!'' Mai replied in a pitiful voice and bowed to the elderly woman in front of her.

She was in the Administrative Office now.

''Then repeat the rules one more time!'' Miss Maria ordered her strictly.

''Y-Yes!'' Mai bowed again and looked at the list of rules. ''First rule of all..''

Akane sighed as she sat outside the Office and listened to Mai reciting the rules for the third time. She turned her head to the left when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and looked up.

''Gallagher-oneesama?''

Sara knocked on the door to the Office.

Mai stopped reciting the rules.

''Who is it?'' Miss Maria answered the knock.

''The student council president of Garderobe, Sara Gallagher. May I enter, please?'' the blonde answered.

''...Yes, you may, Miss Gallagher,'' Miss Maria replied after a moment of hesitation.

Sara opened the door and entered the office.

''I am sorry we had to bother you with this problem,'' she bowed politely.

''It's my duty,'' Miss Maria observed the girl. ''And it's quite rare that a student is picked up by the council president. We'll leave it at that,'' she said.

''Thank you very much, Miss Maria,'' Sara replied. She took a few steps closer to Mai and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Mai looked up to her with a confused stare.

''Let's go.''

Mai nodded and left the room together with Sara.

* * *

><p>''You're the unluckiest person I have ever encountered,'' Sara commented, while walking down the hallway with the two girls following her. ''To be called in by the Administrative on your very first day...''<p>

Mai sighed heavily. She was truly ashamed of her actions now. Back then, she didn't even think about the possible consequences of her actions, but at this very moment she regretted everything. Tokiha observed Sara for a moment. She was expecting the council president to be angry or disappointed, but there was nothing on her face aside from stoic calmness and a very little hint of relief.

''I am truly sorry...'' Mai said. ''I had to bother you with all this...I had to be picked with the council president herself...''

Sara stopped at the end of the hallway. ''Just be careful next time.'' She looked at Mai and smiled. ''I have dealt with problems even more ridiculous than this, so I advise you not to worry about it too much.''

''But still...'' Mai continued, flustered by the kindness of Sara-oneesama.

''My, my,'' Akane sighed.

''What is it?'' Mai looked at Akane confusedly.

''You get flustered so easily, Mai-chan...''

Mai couldn't help but blush at that.

''Akane is right,'' Sara commented. ''If you get so flustered by me, I wonder what will happen when you meet the Patroness...''

Mai looked up to Sara with confused eyes.

''P-Patroness..? Is she...a very important person?''

''She is,'' the blonde continued. ''The wealthier families of this town are very interested in keeping those academies in tact, so they spend a large sum of money on it. Currently we are under the Fujino family care, and, since their daughter studies here, she is the official representative of our support family, or, in simple words – a patroness.''

''I see...'' Mai thought.

''She represents the 3 schools: Fuuka, Royal Winbloom and Garderobe,'' Akane broke the silence. ''So she is considered the student of them all. It is her duty to be the uniting point of all three of those schools.''

''...Is she even scarier than Miss Maria?'' Mai asked with concern.

Akane and Sara looked at each other and started to chuckle.

''She is not scary at all,'' Akane giggled.

''The Patroness has her strange straits, but she is very loved here,'' Sara continued. ''She cares about well-being of the students, and she is always nice towards anyone. She is actually very interested in meeting you...'' Sara drifted in thoughts for a while.

''R-Really?!'' Mai exclaimed, her face slowly turning pink. ''I-Is it because I broke the rules...?''

''No, not at all,'' Sara was amused, ''we rarely get exchange students. She knows everyone here, so I suppose she is curious to see what kind of person you are.''

''You will probably meet her today,'' Akane said. ''She usually comes to the dinner.''

''And today is the first dinner of the school year, where she will greet everyone and give her speech,'' Sara finished.

''I suppose we should head to the dining hall,'' Akane started.

''Yes, you really should,'' Sara nodded, ''I will be seeing you there a moment later. I have to meet with other council representatives now.''

''See you, Gallagher-oneesama!'' Akane waved excitedly.

''Goodbye, Sara-oneesama, and thank you again,'' Mai bowed politely.

''Let's get going!'' Akane exclaimed excitedly, grabbing her hand.

Mai sighed.

''Akane-chan, I can walk by myself...''

The student council president of Garderobe stood in place for a little moment, looking at very a happy Akane and Mai, who was patiently walking next to her.

''_They seem to get along nicely,''_ she thought. Sara then turned and started walking her mind still in thoughts.

_''Why is Shizuru so interested in her?'' _Sara continued to think worriedly. _''That is not good…is that a start of new obsession? Considering how everything turned out with Natsuki and the rest, that is really not a good sign…''_


	7. Chapter 2: Troublesome (part 3)

**Chapter 2: Troublesome**

**(part 3)**

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><p><strong>AN: Again, I am very sorry for the long time it takes me to update the chapters. Exams are in two days, so that's a worry, and I have one million and more things to take care of. That doesn't mean I am stopping the fiction work, though! I am still writing, but at a much slower rate.<strong>

**In addition, me and some guys from our group are working on some other projects. I am helping with the vocal album they want to launch, and, since I help with vocals and I write the song lyrics, it's more additional work. And even more – I am getting ready for my first song recording/song cover thing! And it's actually related to this fiction piece. It's not a Shizuru/Mai tribute video/song upcoming, sorry to disappoint you about that, but it is another pair which is going to be a big focus of The Panicking Lily and a pair that I love greatly. I would love to do song covers for all the pairs listed, but I only have that many voices (well, about 6 different character voices), and I have no other girls to help me with that, so yeah. And I don't want to work with hetero pair recordings just yet, mainly because all my singing guys are very, very busy, so that will have to wait. I can't promise the exact date, I doubt it will be anytime super soon, but it will appear some day, and hopefully together with the appropriate chapter to it. I have the pairs listed in the opening section, so if you have a song recommendation you think fots a certain pair, please, leave a comment! I am not the most fabulous of singers, so bear with me, please.**

**Until then, I hope everyone of you is doing okay! I hope you all enjoy this part of the chapter and stay safe.**

* * *

><p>The academy dining hall was full with young girls in colourful uniforms. Brightly lit place resembled a Victorian dining hall, and the sounds of girls talking echoed along it.<br>''Have you heard about the new transfer student?'' a girl, dressed in Fuuka uniform, asked to the person next to her.

''Really? A transfer student?'' Akira Okuzaki opened her eyes and looked at the girl who initiated the conversation – Erstin Ho. She nodded in response.

''I bet she is really pretty,'' Erstin sighed dreamy. ''I can't wait to meet her.''

''That has to be my cousin,'' a girl in Garderobe uniform, Arika Yumemiya, said happily. ''She said she will be transferring here, so I assume it's her.''

''We will be meeting your cousin?'' Nina Wang, dressed as a member of Royal Windbloom, looked across the table at Arika.

''Yup!'' Arika was excited.

''What is she like?'' Erstin asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

''Well,'' Arika continued, ''she is pretty, and smart. And clumsy.'' She smirked as she leaned on the back of her chair, nearly knocking over a glass of water. A gentle hand caught it just in time.

''Just like you, I see,'' Sara Gallagher place the glass safely on table. The girls chuckled.

''You are making a mess here,'' Sara sighed. ''Each row of tables is supposed to have students of one academy. Here I see all three of them together.''

''Such strictness, Sara,'' a flirtatious voice Sara could recognize with no doubt sounded behind her. She turned around to face a gorgeous, dark-haired girl in Fuuka uniform standing before her eyes, smiling the most charming of smiles possible. ''It's the first evening of them being here, and I think it's fine,'' she said.

''You are making excuses for them, Chie...''

''Maybe,'' the girl flirted, ''but does it really matter where they sit as long as they have a nice evening?''

''_She has a point, I must admit...''_ But she didn't, just because it was Chie she was having an argument with, and she couldn't admit a loss to her of all people.

''Just for once,'' Chie continued as she observed the blonde. ''That would allow you the freedom as well, to choose where you sit. Aoi and I can offer you to sit with us~'' she continued, before handing Sara a blue rose out of nowhere.

Sara hesitated a second before accepting it.

''I have my usual spot.''

''With Haruka and Yukino, yes,'' Chie nodded. ''You fancy presidents, having your special table and all that...''

Sara couldn't stop a slight smile appearing on her lips. Chie had the annoying trait to flirt with nearly every girl in sight, and she didn't hesitate to add the flirt in a conversation even with council presidents, especially her, but she had a great sense of humour that Sara could appreciate, and, in all honesty, she found the handsome dark-haired girl very amusing.

The door to the dining hall was opened wide, and the eyes of everyone were focused on it, as Mai walked in together with Akane.

''Aye, look,'' Chie commented, playing with a strand of her hair. ''Isn't that the new girl you mentioned today?''

''Yes, it is Mai,'' Sara observed the two girls with a calm look.

''Quite cute she is, that girl,'' Chie continued, teasingly looking at Sara.

The Garderobe student council president glared at the dark-haired girl standing next to her. ''Really? What makes her cuter than anyone else you flirt with?''

Chie grinned at that statement. ''Oh, I see, dear president,'' her grin widened even more. ''There is no need to be so jealous, I am just teasing you~'' she raised a flirty eyebrow at her conversation partner.

Sara sighed, her cheeks turning slightly pink. ''I, of all the people possible, am not hungry for your attention,'' she said. ''So drop the topic.''

''My, my,'' the dark-haired flirt sighed. ''You are such a cold stone sometimes, Sara. That was unnecessary harsh of you.''

Her attention turned back to Mai and Akane. ''I see that Akane finally has a roommate,'' Chie said, pleased.

''Yes,'' Sara nodded. ''It was very depressing, to see Akane being sad because of living completely alone. Especially after Huit so harshly refused to live with her, and with Kruger going away in the middle of the second semester…She is very excited and hadn't left the new student alone. They seem to get along nicely.''

Chies attention shifted to Shiho Huit, the pink-haired girl sitting a couple tables away to the right. Her strange, spiralesque ponytails bounced as she moved her head to look at the girl she was having a conversation with – Miyu Greer, her fellow student at Royal Windbloom, a calm and collected, very serious silver-blueish haired girl with glasses. Shiho was babbling, as usual, about a million of different things, and Chie was surprised how Miyu could take all that talking without getting annoyed.

''Shiho is like that,'' Chie finally said to Sara. ''I hope there is some reasoning behind all that vain.'' Her look was now concentrated on Sara, who was looking back at Chie with a hint of interest. She took a notice of that and smirked.

''Anyway,'' Sara started, ''you still didn't reply why Tokiha is so adorable in your opinion.''

''Someone is very interested,'' Chie replied. ''And I didn't say she was extremely adorable. I think she has a very spectacular hair colour. Very vibrant, you see~''

''So you like bright hair colours. I see,'' Sara was now looking back at Mai.

''Well, this one is attractive, but she'll need a personality like yours to fit with that colour,'' Chie flirted amusedly.

Sara sighed. ''Does that mean I should have a blazingly bright hair mess to fit my persona?'' She raised a curious eyebrow.

''Nah, not really,'' was the reply received from Chie. ''Your blond strands have a certain charm to them. I like them,'' she continued as she handed Sara two more blue roses.

''Two this time?'' Sara asked.

''I can't really leave you with an even amount of roses,'' Chie flirted. ''Now you have 3 in total.''

''Where are you getting them from anyway?'' Sara raised a curious eyebrow at her discussion partner again. ''Are you a magical fairy of sorts?''

Chie let out a little laugh.

''Totally,'' she smiled, ''I am just that fabulous. They grow wherever I go~''

''That explains a lot,'' Sara replied. ''Shall we go greet the new student? I am sure you are interested in talking to her.''

''A little curious, yes,'' Chie said, and that reminded Sara of Shizuru.

''_I still have no idea what's up with Shizuru,''_ she thought_. ''Mai doesn't seem to know her at all, so it means that Shizuru is certainly planning something…or being weird.'' _

She continued after a moment. _'' It is worrying me…Nobody knows Shizuru that well to predict what could possibly be on her mind…''_

* * *

><p><em><em>  
>Tokiha could feel being stared at. There were some who were looking at her with a lot of interest, some were frowning or giggling at her, but certainly none of those girls were ignoring her presence. Even Sara Gallagher, whom she noticed to be standing next to a charming dark-haired girl her age and talking to her, was looking at Mai with an interest. Today, she was the major object of everyones attention, and that made her shiver a little.<p>

''Akane-chan...'' Mai whispered as quietly as possible. ''They are staring at me...''

''Of course they are,'' Akane replied with a smile way too cheerful, ''you're new to here! How can they not be looking?''

''But it makes me feel very nervous, Akane-chan...I am not that special anyway...''

''It will pass,'' Akane said. ''Generally, everyone is friendly here. They are probably eager to greet you and get to know you.''

''Maybe...But still...'' Mai shivered.

''Ah, hello there, young lady!'' A flirtful voice greeted her cheerfully, and Mai turned around to see Sara Gallagher and the mysterious amber-eyed girl.

''I would like you to meet Chie Hallard,'' Sara announced, ''our local gatherer of information and one of the council members of Fuuka Academy.''

''A pleasure to meet you,'' Mai said, bowing politely to Chie and smiling.

''My, you're a well-mannered one,'' Chie beamed with enthusiasm. ''I am very happy to meet you as well, Mai-chan.''

''Yes, she couldn't stop staring at your fantastic hair,'' Sara replied with a hint of cynicism in her voice.

''You won't ever drop it, right?'' Chie sighed. ''And it's not really my fault that her hair is that good-looking.''

Mai blinked in confusion and blushed.

''My hair isn't anything special, but thank you anyway, Hallard-san.''

''Chie-oneesama is fine,'' she said. ''I came here to make friends, there is no need to be so extremely formal.''

''Speaking of formality...'' Akane started. ''Isn't Mai-chan going to need a mentor like everyone else?''

''Mentors, as usual, will be allocated to their respective students on the Welcoming Ball in the end of April,'' Sara replied calmly. ''It doesn't make sense to rush the choice.''

Mai nodded.

''I would like to meet as many people as possible and then decide,'' she said. ''Akane-chan and Sara-oneesama get along nicely, and I would like my mentor to be someone friendly and familiar.''

''Makes sense to do that,'' Akane agreed.

''Ah, is it so?'' Chie smiled brightly. ''I am friendly. Would you like me to be your mentor?''

Sara glared at her unamusedly.

"Mai just told you that she wants to have some time.''

Chie sighed dramatically. ''I know that, right? It's just…since she is enrolling the second year, there is barely any option left for her, unless someone from the third years are willing enough to take an additional mentoring student.''

''So it's just you and Aoi-san, then…'' Akane said after a bit of thinking.

''Indeed,'' Sara admitted unwillingly.

''I will think about it,'' Mai replied with a smile.

''Good!'' Chie was excited. ''See you around, then.'' With saying that, she handed Mai a blue rose, which the orange-haired girl accepted with a light pink blush on her cheeks.

''_It is truly a strange place…''_ she thought.


	8. Chapter 2: Troublesome (part 4)

**Chapter 2: Troublesome**

**(part 4)**

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><p><strong>AN: The final part of Chapter 2! Enjoy it!<strong>

* * *

><p>''I think we all should take a sit somewhere before the dinner is served,'' Sara announced. Chie nodded.<p>

''I am off to Aoi then.''

''Please, girls, find a place…somewhere,'' Sara sighed and looked around. The dining hall was becoming alarmingly overcrowded with young girls who were trying to find their friends to sit with.

''We'll manage, Gallagher-oneesama,'' Akane said and dragged Mai to the nearest table where the girls quickly sat down, and they managed to do it exactly on time, as moments later the door to the dining hall was opened wide and a row of fancy dressed people entered the dining hall. After a long while stares were turned from Mai to them, and Tokiha felt very relieved about that.

''It's the headmistress, teachers and the Patroness,'' Akane whispered very quietly to Mai, who couldn't stop looking at them. There, precisely in the middle of the tiny parade of important people was she – the mysterious beauty who had captured her attention so swiftly today.

''Akane-chan?'' Mai whispered back at her roommate. ''I-Is the girl in the purple and golden dress the Patroness?''

Akane nodded. ''She indeed is. Why are you asking, Mai-chan?''

Mai gulped, and she could feel a vawe of embarrassment coming on.

''I met her today,'' she replied.

Akane blinked and kept silent for a while. Mai continued to speak.

''Wind blew off my scarf, so I chased it down the hill. She was standing by the lake, so I probably disturbed her. And she helped me to find my scarf. I never really apologized and thanked her properly, because I fainted…''

''So that's why you were late for the curfew! You were looking for her?''

Mai nodded in agreement.

''Yes,'' she continued. ''I saw her walking across the yard, so I thought I could catch up with her. Never managed it in the end,'' Mai sighed and stopped talking. She concentrated her look back on the Patroness, who was walking calmly and graciously, looking directly in front of her. Then she turned her head to the right. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise, but the she calmed down instantly as she recognized Mai from earlier this day. A smile of amusement formed on her lips, and she had to distract herself from Mai to stop a sudden urge to giggle.

''Look, she recognized you,'' Akane said after observing the Patroness. Then, after seeing the gloomy state of Mai, she patted her slightly on her shoulder. ''Cheer up, Mai-chan!'' she said. ''I will ask Gallagher-oneesama to introduce you to her, if you wish to speak with her.''

''_Ara, it happens. There you go,''_ a sudden memory flashback was triggered inside Mai's mind, and the girl blushed again. ''N-No, thank you, Akane-chan…I will manage, I hope.''

''Gallagher-oneesama said she is interested in meeting you, so she will try to introduce you as soon as possible. At least, that's my guess,'' Akane finished.

Mai nodded.

''I know…I can't say I am extremely happy about that, though…'' she sighed quietly.

''Why?'' Akane asked, full of curiosity.

''I am very embarrassed,'' Mai admitted shyly. ''I acted very stupidly earlier today, that's why.''

Akane kept silent for a second.

''Well, she didn't look angry at you, so I think you worry too much now.''

Girls immediately stopped talking as they heard a sound of light jingle. They, just like everyone else, turned their heads in the direction of the sound, which was coming from the teacher table. Miss Maria was ringing a small bell, but she stopped as soon as Mashiro Kazahana started to speak.

''Thank you, Miss Maria,'' she thanked the lady who replied with an elegant nod. ''Good evening, everyone,'' Mashiro then started speaking to the audience as loudly as she possibly could with a bright smile on her lips. ''I am the Head Mistress of academy complexes located in this town, Mashiro Kazahana, and, as every year, I am happy to see a large amount of students entering our academy building to stay. By looking at you from here, I can tell that most of you are very interested or at least curious about your studies. Some of you look troubled or even worried a bit, but there are no sad faces in this dining hall today, and it's because it's the start of something new in your life. I can assure that we will do anything possible to make you feel welcomed here, and I can certainly say that your time won't be filled with just purely studies – there are a plenty of various types of events planned in our academy and in the town, so you will definitely have a good time in addition to everything else. I wish you all an unforgettable school year and a pleasant evening in the company of your newly met friends!'' She then raised her glass of juice. ''Enjoy the most of it!''

Everybody cheered along with her, but silence filled the dining hall once more as Shizuru Fujino stood up.

''Ara,'' she started in a voice that made nearly everybody gasp. ''As the Headmistress said it herself, to see you all here, very excited and very enthusiastic, is truly a pleasant sigh for every one of the teaching and administrative staff. '' She then smiled charmingly and continued. ''Now, you've probably heard someone refer to as The Patroness, and that's who I am – I am a representative of all three academies. I am also a person who organizes most of the school events and takes care of the financial matters, and, in a way, I take care of each and every one of you. So I will be looking forward to meeting you all, especially in the Autumn ball, where your mentors will be distributed. Until then, I hope that you all will stay safe, be responsible students and enjoy your time. Please, have a good time and enjoy your meal!''

Mai kept staring at Shizuru, until she felt Akane tapping on her shoulder slightly.

''Y-Yes…?'' Mai turned her gaze to Akane, confused.

''Our neighbors would like to talk to us,'' Akane said, bringing Mai's attention to several girls sitting around their table.

''Ah! Y-yes, of course! How impolite of me, heh…'' Mai waved her hand nervously.

''Cousin!'' a voice Mai couldn't ever mistake spoke to her, and Mai looked in the direction of the voice to see a very happy Arika looking at her.

''Arika-chan! I knew you would be here too!'' for once, Mai finally was very happy herself. The light brown-haired girl grinned at her.

''It's so cool! We are going to go to the same academy! It's amazing, isn't it?''

''You are way too excited,'' Mai was amused by her younger cousin. Arika giggled.

''I see you have a friend as well,'' she chirped happily. Akane smiled.

''I am her roommate, Akane Soir,'' Akane was smiling cheerfully. ''I am very pleased to meet you.''

''A roommate, huh? I haven't met my roommate yet,'' Arika thought for a moment. ''I bet she is great, though.''

''I wouldn't call Tomoe particularly great, but she is okay, you'll manage,'' dark blue-haired girl with a very peculiar hairstyle spoke.

''Huh?'' Arika turned to her. ''So her name is Tomoe. That's good to know. I will probably meet her when I go to my room,'' Arika was back to her normal self.

''Don't you know her name precisely? We may have several Tomoes here,'' the girl asked.

''Well, I didn't even remember her name, even though I've tried to memorize it. Her surname did sound like ''margarine'', though…That's about all I can remember,'' Arika sighed.

''Then that's her,'' the blue-haired replied quietly. ''And it's Marguerite, not margarine, for heaven's sake.''

Everyone around the table giggled a bit.

''It would have been funny if Arika called her Margarine-san,'' Akane laughed.

''She would probably be angry…'' the blonde said quietly.

''Not really angry, no, she is not the type,'' a slight smile of amusement formed on the dair-haired's lips, ''but it would annoy her. A lot.''

''I can imagine,'' Arika said. Then, as if suddenly remembered something, she jumped a bit in her chair and turned back to Mai and Akane.

''Oh! Right! … Mai-chan, Akane-san, I would like you to meet my friends – Nina-chan and Erstin-chan.''

Mai smiled at the green-eyed, shy blonde and the calm girl from before.

''It's Nina Wang,'' the dark blue-haired spoke, ''my pleasure to meet you, Mai-san and Akane-san.''

The blonde blushed at the look of Mai.

''Erstin Ho,'' she replied quietly, barely speaking. ''…You look beautiful, I like your dress.''

''Erstin-chan here was really impressed by you,'' Arika grinned her wide smile, and Erstin blushed intensively at that remark.

''No…Well, yes…Not really…A little bit…'' she mumbled quietly, and Mai blushed.

''Thank you very much, Erstin-chan. I like your uniform as well, it suits you very much.'' That cheered Erstin up, and she calmed down and smiled back at Mai.

''I am actually surprised by how your arrival was made such a big deal,'' Arika continued to speak. ''I mean, you are not the only transfer student, right?''

''She isn't,'' the girl wearing glasses, Garderobe uniform and a dark-green ponytail replied. She placed her glass of juice on table and joined the conversation. ''But she is the last transfer student to arrive. She basically appeared here on the last day. Usually students start coming here at least a week before studies, like me.''

Mai blinked.

''So you are a transfer student as well?'' Akane asked.

''A second-year, maybe?'' Mai added a question too.

The girl nodded. ''Yes to both questions,'' she said. ''I am Akira Okuzaki.''

''Very nice to meet you,'' Akane replied.

''Why are you not together with your roommate?'' Mai asked.

''Maybe she hasn't met her,'' Arika interrupted. ''Just like me.''

''I don't have a roommate. I have the money to afford a single room, and apparently we have an odd number of students, so it wasn't an option anyway,'' Okuzaki replied.

''I see…'' Arika started to wonder in her dream dimension once more.

''Arika-chan, you should finish you food before it gets cold,'' Nina reminded her.

''Have you decided on a mentor yet, Mai-san?'' Akira spoke to Mai.

''Chie-oneesama offered me an option, but I have yet to decide. I might probably choose her, since she seems nice enough.''

''Ah, good. I was planning to go with Aoi-san. Her room is located near mine, which is convenient, and I like her enough after communicating with her for a week,'' Akira said.

''That's a deal, then.'' Mai giggled.

Akira replied with a smile.

''It seems like so.''

The girls gave each other a high-five which made Akane giggle in adoration.

''See, Mai-chan? I told you that you would make friends right off the bat,'' she said, and Mai nodded.

''Well, you seem like a nice bunch of people, which is actually surprising,'' Akira said honestly.

''Indeed,'' Nina nodded.

''Why is that?'' Mai wondered, and Akira sighed.

''I am not really a sociable person, and I generally dislike any company. But you don't seem bad at all.'' Akira finished her sentence and picked up her knife to start cutting the meat on her plate.

''Wow, Mai-chan, we better hurry up, or the food is going to be ice cold,'' Akane said and started eating.

''You have to try it, cousin!'' Arika exclaimed way too happily, eating like she had never had any food in her life.

''Arika…'' Nina sighed. ''Have you ever tried chewing your food before swallowing it?''

The girl with two little braids nodded.

''That's what I am doing,'' she said, pouting.

''You're doing it at an alarmingly fast rate, then,'' Erstin said worriedly.

''I am fine, Ers-chan,'' Arika replied. ''It's just so tasty! I would eat it all if I had the chance!''

''And leave us all to starve,'' Okuzaki rolled her eyes. ''Thank you so much.''

The girls laughed.

''You remind me of an ant, Arika, I swear,'' Nina said. ''Ants can carry objects 50 times heavier than themselves. You could probably eat the quantity of food 50 times larger than yourself.''

Arika pouted, seemingly upset.

''Hey! What was all that for?''

''Calm yourself, Arinko-chan,'' Mai said. ''Your friend is right about some manners. You are swallowing the food like just come off a diet.''

Arika sighed. ''Thanks, Neena.''

Wang smirked in return. ''You're welcome, Arinko-chan.''

''Ugh,'' Arika pouted.

''There, there, girls,'' Akane giggled. ''Calm yourselves down.'' And it truly didn't take long for the girls to calm down. Moments later, they were laughing at something silly again and having the usual fun.

''_It's so amazing here,''_ Mai thought while observing everyone around the table. _''Arika-chan seems to be doing great, so does Akane-chan and everyone else…''_ She smiled, very pleased with the situation.

* * *

><p>The time passed quickly in the nicely lit, comfortable and noisy dining hall, and Mai was eating the last spoon of her pudding when she felt Akane slightly tap her shoulder. Confused, she turned her head to face her roommate.<p>

''Mai-chan,'' Akane started, ''the Patroness is probably waiting for you. I think it's time to go and see her.''

Mai gulped.

''S-sure, yes,'' she said. ''Let me gather myself.''

* * *

><p>''And I say, Yukino – there has to be a change!'' The impressively chested blonde in Royal Windbloom uniform, who was sitting beside the triangular table specifically for Student Council Presidents, nearly yelled at her conversation partner, the calm and collected, but also shy redhead, who adjusted her glasses as she watched the passionate blonde wave her pudding spoon around, gesturing as much as she could. Sara flinched at the loudness of her voice, although the Student Council President of Royal Windbloom Haruka Armitage didn't seem to notice, as she continued to express her opinion about the arrangement of the timetable, which Sara has been listening to for the past 25 minutes.<p>

''What do you think?'' Haruka slammed her fist into the table, nearly leaving a hole there. Yukino Chrysant, the easily-flustered Student Council president of Fuuka Academy, jumped when the attention was guided directly at her. She blushed and started to talk.

''Well…'' she paused, picking her words carefully, knowing perfectly that the wrong type of wording could easily anger the honey blonde friend of hers. ''You have a point, but…''

''No buts, Yukino!'' Haruka interrupted. ''I say – these timechairs are a mess!''

''T-timetables, you mean?'' Yukino said shyly, correcting her hot-headed colleague.

''That's what I said, no?'' Haruka said, annoyed. ''Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah!''

And the honey blonde started talking again, but Sara didn't listen to the stupid argument. Instead, she was observing the Patroness of this place.

Shizuru seemed as calm as usual, no trace of nervousness or anything like that on her beautiful, almost way too perfect face. She was having a few small talks with the Headmistress and the teachers and seemed to be enjoying the evening.

''_Maybe I am just going insane,''_ Sara thought_. ''Maybe she was just playing a silly joke on me to make me nervous…'' _But she unmistakably saw a few, clearly way too amused looks directed at her and at Mai, and that was worrying her to no end. _''No,''_ Gallagher continued to think as she followed Shizuru's look, _''there is definitely something else.''_

Moments later her bright, green eyes were staring at the curious orbs of amber directed at her. She blinked and blushed slightly, as it was Chie who was looking at her with interest in her peculiarly coloured eyes. Hallard smiled a charming smile and waved a hand at her, which made the girl sitting next to her, Aoi Senoh, turn around with confusion in her eyes. It swiftly disappeared, though, as she recognized Sara and waved an excited hand at her as well.

Gallagher turned her attention back to Yukino and Haruka as she heard the latter slam the table again.

''Are you even listening to me, Sara?'' Haruka hissed angrily and sat down.

''I'm sorry,'' Sara apologized. ''I greeted Chie and Aoi.''

''You can enjoy the flirt with them later.''

Sara shot an angry look at that accusation.

''I care not for the flirt, Armitage-san, you should know that,'' she said, irritated. ''By the way, I think there is more important matters to take notice of.''

''Such as?'' Haruka raised an eyebrow.

Sara sighed. She didn't want to bring the topic up, but it seemed like she had no choice.

''The current state of our Patroness is a bit worrying. Haven't you noticed her acting strangely?'' Sara asked. Haruka crossed her hands and slumped, clearly unpleased with the mentioning of Shizuru Fujino.

''I do not care about the damn bubuzuke woman,'' she replied with a kind of annoyance in her voice. ''I have better things to do with my life than stalking her.''

''Does she seem different, Sara-san?'' Yukino asked calmly.

''A little strange is probably the right term,'' Sara replied.

''She is always strange, Sara,'' Haruka hissed.

''I know, but still… she seems way too much like not herself.''

As Sara spoke, her eyes wandered away from Yukino and Haruka back to Shizuru. But huge was her surprise when she saw the place where Shizuru was sitting just moments ago being completely empty.

''_What?!''_ Sara thought frantically as she looked around in order to see at least a trace of the Patroness, and she was terrified to see her walking closer and closer to Mai, who didn't even seem to notice her approaching.

* * *

><p>Akane stood patiently as she waited for Mai to finish eating. After a couple of moments the orange-haired girl was ready to go, and she stood up carefully, placing her chair back where it was. It was only then that she felt Akane slightly grabbing the sleeve of her uniform.<p>

''A-Akane-chan…?'' Mai questioned as she looked where her roommate was looking, and froze in place. Clearly heading towards her, barely a few meters away was the Patroness, who was now looking at her with a curious and amused look.

''Ara, there you go,'' she started, smiling calmly. ''I see that you are fine now,'' she continued as she approached closer – way closer.

''Good evening, Fujino-san,'' Akane bowed slightly and greeted her.

''Ara, nice to see you, Akane-chan,'' Shizuru remained standing there.

Mai blushed slightly in embarrassment and bowed slightly. ''Good evening…'' she started speaking, but the she felt a slight dizziness hit her, and she lost her balance for a second, taking a small, clumsy step forwards. Mai was certain she is going to fall, but instead of finding herself on the cold marble floor, she felt two strong, but very gentle arms catch her and press her against something soft – a pair of two large, soft breasts. Mai blushed furiously and lifted her head up to meet the crimson eyes looking down at her in a slight surprise, but with no anger or laughter in them. She had basically just dived face first into the chest of the Patroness.

Tokiha could feel every single soul in the dining hall staring at this scene which was beyond awkward. She was awkwardly hugging the angel beauty in front of her, with her flustered face barely centimeters away from hers. Shizuru was gently holding her in her arms and observing with a huge interest. Eventually, the Patroness smiled.

''I am so sorry…'' Mai began to mutter a shy apology to the beautiful girl, and she couldn't stop staring at the captivating crimson eyes.

''You are so clumsy, Mai-chan,'' Shizuru laughed a bit. ''It's getting beyond adorable.'' Then she giggled and observed Mai a bit in amusement. Then she pulled her even closer, placing her hands on the shorter girl's waist, and the whole situation suddenly seemed very familiar – Mai could even see how the face of the Patroness slowly moved closer and closer, and Mai closed her eyes, vaguely having an idea of what is going to happen…

''Shizuru, stop it.''

Mai opened her eyes and blinked, and then she noticed a seemingly upset Sara Gallagher standing right next to them.

''Why?'' Shizuru asked, never taking her stare off of Mai.

''How do you think does this look like?'' Sara hissed.

Finally, Shizuru shifted her gaze away from Mai and turned her head to face Sara.

''I caught her while she was about to fall,'' Shizuru replied, her voice full of innocence, but Sara could clearly see the amusement glistering her eyes. ''What's wrong about that?''

When Sara didn't reply, she giggled silently.

''Fine,'' she said as she removed her hands, and Akane had to quickly step forwards to catch Mai on time, ''I'll see you later, then.'' With that, she elegantly turned around and walked away.

Mai felt as if she was suddenly awoken from a daydream, and she had to grab Akane's hand in order to maintain stability – her legs suddenly felt like made of jelly.

''Come on, Mai-chan,'' Akane whispered as quietly as possible, ''let's go to our room…''

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that is the end of Chapter 2! Chapter 3 is currently a work in progress, but the first part of it is upcoming (hopefully) soon! My language exams are coming to an end, only last two days left, and then I will have 10 days of pure freedom, so I will probably write a part or two when I have the time! Until then, stay safe and make sure life doesn't bite you too harshly. See you!<strong>


	9. Chapter 3: The road of high hopes (p1)

**AN: Aaaaaaand here come I running terribly late on updating this! Again, you probably know what I have to say about all that – school and finals, much stress, nearly zero free time – I haven't been able just to surf the Internet for a moment, yet alone write something. Now I have a lot more free time, because the exam session is slowly but surely coming to an end, and I have written the whole Chapter 3! I was actually planning to post this 3 days earlier, but I had to Internet access because of an intense storm in my region, so that's that. Anyway, I hope that you will still like it after such an absence of an update!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: The road of high hopes<strong>

**(part 1)**

* * *

><p>Mai felt overwhelmed and dizzy as she let Akane guide her back to their room. Only after she was safely in their dorm room, she allowed herself to snap back in reality, and she quietly sat on her bed with a concerned frown of her face.<p>

Akane sighed.

''Mai-chan…'' she started, observing her quiet friend.

''I failed so miserably, Akane-chan,'' Mai said, not even lifting her head to look at her. ''I have just met her, yet she is so interested in me, which makes me so nervous…I can't even explain why…''

Akane tensed a bit upon hearing that. She stood there beside her own bed, looking at Mai, but Soir was deeply in her thoughts. The image of sad and worried Mai reminded her of somebody with whom she has already had a very similar discussion about the exact same topic – Shizuru. Observing her new friend, she could see an image of a navy-haired girl appear in place of Mai, with the same worried and upset frown on her face.

''_**I just don't know what to do with it, Akane,'' **__the girl sighed, raising her gaze to meet Akane's eyes. __**''It's getting beyond controllable, that obsession of hers.''**__  
><em>Back then, the brown-haired had told her that it's a sign of strong feelings.

''_**I know,''**__ she replied to that, '__**'but it's upsetting. I have told her I don't want us to be anything more, but she just keeps getting closer.''**__ The green orbs of the girl stared at Akane. _

Back then, Akane suggested strictly explaining everything to her.

''_**Shizuru is my friend,''**__ the girl sighed. __**''My best friend. And the last thing I want to do is be too harsh and hurt her unneseccarily.''**__ She then kept silent for a moment to recollect her thoughts__**. ''I will have to have a serious talk with her. She is my friend, after all, it can't go that badly.''**_

Akane felt her fist clenching._**''It didn't go badly…it just went so horribly wrong…I should have done **__**something**__**…''**_

The vision of the navy-haired girl started to fade away, and moments later Akane was looking not into upset pools of green, but orbs of lavender with a hint of worry in them.

''Are you okay, Akane-chan?'' Mai asked, concerned about her friend. Akane quickly forced her wave of memories to go away and relaxed her body muscles.

''Ah, I am sorry, I was just thinking,'' she replied and sat next to Mai on her bed. She observed her friend for a moment before speaking again. ''…It is rumoured that the Patroness doesn't like anyone for too long.''

''Hmm?'' Mai was confused. ''What do you mean?''

Akane sighed. ''She loses interest rather quickly. It has happened numerous times before, especially when she meets a rather interesting person, but it fades away, usually after a month or so. If that's the case, you shouldn't worry, as it will end sooner or later.''

''I see…'' Mai kept silent and stared at the ceiling for a while. ''So she won't be teasing me forever?''

''Probably not,'' Akane giggled, ''although you're so adorable that even I couldn't keep my hands off of you.''

Mai blushed.

''Akane-chan, you're not helping with the situation…''

''I was just joking, Mai-chan,'' Akane smiled a big and reassuring smile. ''It all will be fine. Don't be sad on your first day of arrival, it's just heartbreaking.''

''You're right,'' Mai nodded in agreement. ''I guess it will be fine. After all, tomorrow is going to be amazing, I will meet my teachers and class…''

''You're going to like the teachers, especially Sugiura-sensei,'' Akane giggled and got up from the bed. ''She is a rather interesting history teacher.'' She then smiled. ''Are you interested in a cup of tea?''

''Yes, thank you!'' Mai exclaimed. ''That would be lovely.''

Akane giggled.

''Then wait just a moment,'' she replied. ''It needs to boil.''

''_It can't end the same way now,''_ Akane thought before fetching the tea, _''Mai-chan doesn't deserve to be hurt…''_

* * *

><p>A slight frown appeared on the face of Arika Yumemiya, who was walking up the dorm stairs together with Nina and Erstin.<p>

''That was a very interesting scene between your cousin and the Patroness today,'' Nina started to speak.

''Hmm?'' Arika looked at the dark-haired girl with little interest.

''Aren't you concerned? She is your relative, after all,'' Nina continued.

''Mai-chan can take care of herself,'' Arika shrugged casually, as if it was the most obvious thing to say. ''I am sure she knows what she is doing.''

''Quite the collected thoughts from you,'' Nina couldn't help but comment. ''Usually you would be spazzing out over something like this.''

Erstin gasped a little. ''Nina-chan, that wasn't the nicest thing to say…''

''Geez, Erstin, you are right, it wasn't,'' Arika sighed. ''But our fearsome-and-angry-never-get-close-to-me Neena rarely is nice,'' she continued.

''Hey, Arinko, that's not entirely true,'' Nina frowned. ''Anyway, what's on your mind, then?''

''…I still don't know what to say to my roommate,'' Arinko-chan honestly admitted.

''Pffft,'' Nina almost laughed. ''Seriously? It's not like she is the empress of the country, calm down.''

Arika started to get annoyed.

''Well, you have Erstin as your roommate, which is convenient, as you already know each other, so you will have it easier when it comes to class presentations, group work and field research. And I have to make friends from scratch, and I don't want to do something silly that it would make this awkward for the rest of life.'' She pulled her hair in annoyance. ''Ugh! What do I do?!''

Erstin giggled at that, and even Nina had to control her urge to laugh at her silly friend.

''Well, first of all, stop worrying. Be polite, be nice and don't be way too hyper about this, or else you'll scare her away. Tomoe likes things to be in a certain order and you probably won't be the closest of friends even after a while, but she doesn't bite and is quite reasonable. So I think you're fine.'' Nina finished talking and looked over to Arika, who now stood in the hallway.

''I will be seeing you tomorrow then, girls,'' she sighed. ''My room is at the other end of the hallway.''

''Ah, I see,'' Nina replied. ''Good night, Arinko-chan.''

Arika nodded in response, slowly cheering up.

''Good luck, Arika-chan!'' Erstin smiled at waved at her, following Nina to their room, and Arika turned around and marched on until she finally reached the door of her room. She knocked on the door, and soon it opened, and a girl was standing there, a little surprised.

Arika was full of joy again. Her roommate was a very beautiful person. Her teal-coloured hair was cut short, not even reaching her shoulder, and grey eyes looked back at her. Her expression showed no disappointment or anger, so that made Arika very happy.

''Hello!'' Arika was excited. ''My name is Arika Yumemiya, and we are supposed to be roommates.''

The confusion faded away almost instantly after Tomoe heard her name. She smiled a polite smile back and stepped away from the door, so Arika could enter the room, which she did with a bunch of happiness.

''My name is Tomoe Marguerite, as you probably already know,'' she spoke. ''Very pleased to meet you. Here is your room key, please be responsible with it,'' she said as she reached out her hand, helding a room key.

Arika smiled as she took it. ''Thank you.''

''I am glad you finally came,'' Tomoe said. ''And welcome to the dorm room. Feel free to feel like at home.''

''This is lovely!'' Arika said as she sat on her newly chosen bed. ''I hope you don't mind me occupying this one.''

''Not at all,'' Tomoe replied, ''I am glad you're happy.''

Arika smiled a big, wide grin as she slipped out of her shoes and lied in her bed, facing the ceiling.

''_This is awesome,''_ she thought and smiled an even bigger smile of happiness.


	10. Chapter 3: The road of high hopes (p2)

**AN: Another part up! Random TomoAri kicks in, just because I can. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: The road of high hopes<br>****  
>(part 2)<strong>

* * *

><p>The bright and somewhat cheerful morning of the next day finally was here, and most of the students in the dorms were already up and doing their morning routine.<p>

Tomoe Marguerite was no exception. The teal-haired girl had just finished doing her hair and observed her work in the mirror, and, overall, she was quite pleased with how it looked. Sighing with relief, she carefully brushed trough her hair one last time before putting the brush away and walking out of the little bathroom that belonged to her room.

She observed the room. It seemed different than usual, probably because the dull morning rays of sun were unusually bright today, filling the room with pleasant light, which brought a calming and, in some ways, a blissful feeling. Eventually, Tomoe's eyes landed on the other bed in the room, and said other bed was in a mind-boggling state of bed sheet and pillow mess with her newly met roommate sleeping in the middle of all that.

Tomoe couldn't help but sigh as she felt her morning peace melt away like pure snow in spring. _''She isn't up yet?''_ She asked herself, wondering how any person on Earth could sleep for such a long time. Tomoe didn't wake up Arika when she went to shower as it didn't seem necessary. But now it had to be done, because Tomoe had no idea how long it would take for the other to take shower and get ready.

Marguerite moved closed to the bed that Arika was sleeping on. ''Arika-san, wake up,'' Tomoe said, but the other didn't even seem to notice. Sighing again, she now was standing completely beside Arika, who was as oblivious to the surrounding world as a rock. ''Arika-san! Please, wake up!'' Now, the voice of the teal-haired seemed to have caused a reaction, albeit very slight one.

Tomoe silently observed as Arika turned her head to the other side, now facing her, still sound asleep, and she could feel herself getting…well, uneasy, to say the least. Her roommate was now the essence of peace itself. With sun rays playing in her light brown hair and casting slight shadows over her calm face, lying in the middle of white bed sheets and soft pillows, she seemed like a stray, innocent sunflower, suddenly starting to blossom in the middle of a lily field, and Tomoe felt really awkward, observing the sleeping girl, probably because she had never expected her mind to make a connection between 'sleeping Arika' and 'adorable'.

''_Ugh,''_ she thought, _''I shouldn't let my mind wander – it tends to wind up in some really weird places…''_

Finally classifying her thought as ''silly'', she sat down on the side of her roommate's bed and firmly placed her palms on Arika's shoulder before speaking in a loud voice. ''Arika-san!'' Yumemiya started to move, but it seemed like she had no intention of waking up, and she winched when Tomoe shook her one more time.

Marguerite sighed and looked away for a bit, as this was really getting tiresome. She now understood why mother had told her to be careful about Arika.

_**''Don't get too close to her,''**__ her mother's voice said through the phone, __**''knowing all of them, she could be distracting you from your studies.''  
><strong>__Tomoe gently reminded that she couldn't be that bad, considering they were automatically partners for every project and homework there was to have.  
><em>_**''I know,''**__ her mother now sounded even more annoyed, __**''I graduated from that place myself, I know what having a roommate means.'' **_

_Tomoe then quickly apologized. Of all the possible people, she didn't want her mother to be upset._

''_**Just don't pick up her disorganized manners, that's it,''**__ her mother finally said with a heavy sigh. __**''This is far from being good, but I hope this won't turn into something unbearable.''**_

****  
>It was no secret that her dear mother disliked Lena Sayers, because they were rivals in the restaurant business, and, naturally, Tomoe had expected that her mother would tell her to stay away from the daughter of the opposing side. Although she was easy to get excited, Arika didn't seem bad, and Tomoe just hoped that it really wouldn't turn into a nightmare. Then, unexpectedly, she was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt something (or, rather, someone) grabbing her hands tightly.<p>

Tomoe immediately turned her head just to see two very beautiful, very curious and very, very, _very_ intense eyes of Arika Yumemiya staring at her, and Tomoe shuddered. She then suddenly felt a wave of panic approach as she thought that maybe, maybe Arika _somehow_ knew Tomoe was thinking of her, and she felt a need to facepalm immediately after that. '_'Nobody can read a mind no matter how intensely they stare!'' _She tried to convince herself while staring back with wide-opened eyes. Her roommate's stare remained intense for a few seconds, and then Arika suddenly started giggling, and Tomoe felt herself being pulled somewhere. It took her mere a second to realize that she was being pulled straight into other girls bed, with shock and pure horror painted all over her face.

''Hahahah, surprised you!'' Arika said through happy giggles, as she observed poor Tomoe now lying in her bed with Arika slightly leaning over her. The situation seemed so bizarre that Tomoe couldn't stop being absolutely minblown.  
>''Y-You weren't sleeping?'' she finally managed to make a proper sentence, and Arika eagerly nodded as a response.<br>''You weren't awake all this time, were you?'' Tomoe asked, as she found the possibility of Arika watching her while she did her morning routine to be highly unnerving (even thought she was the one who watched her sleep, which is no less creepy).

''No, I woke up when you were in the bathroom,'' Arika responded cheerfully, which made Tomoe's poor heart finally calm down a little bit.

''You grabbed me so suddenly, it was actually pretty terrifying,'' Tomoe admitted with a sigh.

Arika was now staring at Tomoe with a hint of confusion glistering in her eyes, leaning a bit closer to her.

''Yes, you seemed pretty sad…Is everything okay?'' She asked, not wanting her new friend to be sad. She didn't know Tomoe even remotely well, but she really disliked the thought of somebody being sad, especially when that somebody was the girl she wanted to be friends with. ''Grandma always told me that you should talk to somebody about your problems because sadness is a feeling that consumes you…''

Tomoe was taken aback by what Arika had said, and she couldn't help but feel flustered as she had never seen anyone so genuinely worried and heartwarming.

''I wasn't sad, I was just deep in my thoughts, and you simply startled me by pulling me so suddenly,'' she finally said, still lying on her back in her roommate's bed, with the said roommate staring at her like she was the most fascinating being on Earth, which made Tomoe even more embarrassed. She fixed her eyes on the ceiling instead, and that helped her to calm down eventually.

''I like calm Tomoe better than sad Tomoe,'' Arika suddenly concluded, and that a let a little smile appear on Tomoe's lips.

''I also prefer being calm rather than sad,'' she replied, closing her eyes.

Marguerite actually found it very surprising how calm it actually was. Arika's bed was very soft and comfortable, and it was so quiet that she could hear the other girl breathing and her own heart beating.

_Peace…_

Tomoe's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she jolted up to a sitting position, which made Arika, who was calmly observing her, slightly jump. The teal-haired's eyes swiftly found the clock on the wall, and her eyes notably widened when she realized that time was unforgivably ticking away.

''Arika-san! You still have to get a shower and dress!''  
>The mentioned girl looked at the clock as well, and it took a couple of extra seconds for her to register that the clock was really showing almost 7:30.<p>

''Eeeeeh?!'' Arika panicked. ''You're right, Tomoe-chan!''

And with that she untangled herself from her bed sheets and ran to the bathroom like her life depended on it.

* * *

><p><strong>''<em>Mai-chan…''<em>**

_Mai listened carefully to the somehow familiar voice calling. She was randomly standing by the lake – she could tell it was the same lake she saw today, only Tokiha couldn't recall ever being by this side of it. _

**''_Mai-chan…''_**

_The fire-haired girl took a step forward to the docks she saw, carefully observing the figure standing on these docks, watching the calm sunset waters in the lake. Mai could faintly hear her small steps echo through the quiet environment, and it seemed that the girl figure on the docks heard her approaching as well, as she slowly turned around._

_Mai froze in place as she recognized Shizuru Fujino now looking at her. A slight smile crept on the lips of the Patroness, which made her seem even more charming, and Mai felt a slight blush theathening to paint her face an adorable shade of pink._

**''_Shizuru-sama…''_**_ Mai said quietly, almost like being afraid to disturb the serenity of this moment, so she lowered her look to look at the water._

**''**_**Mai-chan…''**__ Tokiha could swear Shizuru giggled, and she looked back up again just to meet a gentle look of the other girl. She was smiling the warmest and most inviting smile possible, and Mai could feel herself fill up with warmth and fuzziness as she took a step forward…_

_And then she started falling into a void of blackness._

* * *

><p>''MAI-CHAN!''<p>

Her eyes finally snapped open, as she heard somebody shout her name, and this time it wasn't Shizuru Fujino. Mai sat up in her bed and looked around, absolutely terrified after the weird dream, and it took a couple of seconds to register the presence of Akane, who was looking at her worriedly.

''Thank God, Mai-chan, you're awake!'' Akane sighed with relief. ''It took a long time to wake you up.''

Her heart was pounding like it was going to jump out of her chest. _''Was that all just a dream?'' _Mai started to wonder, slowly starting to calm down.

''Are you okay?'' Akane asked, never taking her eyes off her roommate.

''Y-Yes,'' after a moment of silence, Tokiha finally replied. ''Thank you, Akane. You woke me up from a very strange dream…''

''Yeah, I could tell you weren't hopping around in the land of rainbows and fluffy bunnies, you kept tossing and turning…''

Mai sighed. Of all the things possible, she didn't want to have nightmares about random things before her new life even started here. She could feel her heart rate becoming normal again, as she started to calm down and observe the room. The other bed was tidy and, by the looks of it, Akane was already prepared to go.

That snapped Mai out of her thoughts instantly. ''Damn, I still need to shower and dress!'' she exclaimed, nearly falling to the floor as she hurried out of her bed, and Akane chuckled slightly.


	11. Chapter 3: The road of high hopes (p3)

**Chapter 3: The road of high hopes**

**(part 3)**

Tomoe could barely catch her breath, as she was running (or, to be more precise, being pulled by Arika Yumemiya) towards the stairs of their dorm building.

''A-Arika-san!'' She muttered. ''We aren't allowed to run here! Just calm down!'' With some sort of miraculous strength Tomoe pulled her hand, and she was free from Arika's grasp.

''But we will be late if we don't hurry, Tomoe-chan!'' Arika whined, turning her head around when she felt her roommate's hand slip out of her firm grasp.

''Careful, Arika-san!'' Tomoe looked at Arika, and, to her horror, even though she was now looking at her, Arika had not stopped running, which meant that she was nearing the stairs without even seeing it, and Tomoe hurried after her.

* * *

><p>Mai rushed out of her room and hurried down the hallway, barely leaving time for Akane to lock their room with a key.<br>''Mai-chan, slow down! We are prohibited from running in the hallways!'' Akane started to catch up to Mai, her step transforming into a light run. She had barely reached the middle of the stairs, while her roommate was already on the second floor.

''Wait for me, Mai-chan!''  
>This seemed to work, as Mai stopped and looked at Akane, impatience glistering in her lavender eyes.<br>''Don't run, Mai-chan, or we will be in trouble,'' Akane sighed and smiled back, finally walking normally again.

However, she abruptly stopped when she noticed a pair of girls running towards the stairs. After a brief examination Soir recognized one of them as Arika Yumemiya. She was running at an alarming speed, and it seemed like she had no intention to stop anytime soon…  
>''Careful, Arika-san!'' shouted the teal-haired one, alerting Mai, who was still standing near the stairs and waiting for her friend.<p>

After being late to wake up, Mai could see a lot of things coming, like a detention for being late, or a lecture from one of the teachers…

What she couldn't predict was the incoming missile in the form of her cousin.

Neither of the girls fully understood what had just happened, but mere seconds later both Arika and Mai were tumbling down the stairs to the first floor, with Akane and Tomoe running after them.

''Ouch…'' Mai said, after finding herself on the first floor with dizzy Arika on top of her.

''Ugh…'' her cousin muttered something indescribable and lifted herself up on her arms, getting off of Mai.

''Mai-chan! Are you alright?'' The said girl looked up to see Akane standing near her with a worried expression painted on her face.

''I guess so…'' she sighed, before standing up and fixing her clothes. Tokiha then looked around to see a teal-haired girl crouching near Arika.

''Arika-san, I swear you are the clumsiest person I have ever met in my life,'' she heard the girl say.

''Hey, it wasn't all my fault!'' Arika instantly protested, finally getting up.

''There, let me help you fix your clothes,'' the unfamiliar girl said with a sigh and straightened Arika's dress.

''Thanks, Tomoe-chan,'' Arika said with a giggle.

''_So her name is Tomoe…That must be the roommate she was talking about yesterday,''_ Mai concluded.

''Well, at least you both are unhurt,'' Akane commented with a sigh of relief.

That made both younger girls shift their attention back to them.

''I'm very sorry about…that,'' Tomoe apologized with a slight bow.

''Yeah, sorry, cousin…'' Arika added.

''Ah, I am fine, don't worry,'' Mai said, ''but you surprised me quite a bit…''

An addition of the fifth voice to their conversation made them turn their heads in the direction of stairs, where two familiar faces of Nina Wang and Erstin Ho had appeared.

''What in the world was that?'' Nina asked, surprised.

''Well, see…'' Arika started with a silly expression.

''She ran into Mai and they fell down the stairs,'' Akane said, and that phrase was enough to make Erstin gasp in horror.

''R-Really?!'' The small blonde was shocked, and she instantly rushed down to Arika to make sure she was alright.

Nina sighed.

''Erstin, you could be less dramatic,'' she said casually.

''Nina-chan…'' Erstin was now sad, ''maybe they are hurt…''

''Well, they both seem fine,'' Nina shrugged. However, after that, she looked at Arika, briefly examining her with a look. ''You are okay, right, Arika?''

''Yup, I'm alive!'' Arika gave a cheerful response.

''See, I told you," Nina said, mentally sighing in relief, and Erstin barely nodded in response, a smile finally appearing on her lips.

''Mhmm, Arika isn't the kind to get hurt easily,'' Mai agreed with a little sigh, and Akane giggled.

''We should probably hurry, actually,'' she said.

''Ah! Yes!'' Arika instantly tensed, and Tomoe took notice of that.

''Arika-san! No more running, please!''

''Yeah, yeah, sure. Come, Tomoe-chan!''

''Arika-san!''

And with that, Marguerite was being pulled away by Arika, who was back to being her usual restless self. The remaining girls giggled.

''They sure are a duo,'' Mai couldn't help but smile.

''If that's not the most amusing thing in my life, I don't know what is,'' Nina smirked slightly, earning a quiet laugh from Erstin. ''Come, Erstin, we don't want to be late. I am very much interested in having some sort of breakfast before Arika swallows everything edible in the nearby 5 mile radius.''

''Yes!'' Erstin agreed and begin to walk with her friend.

''Let's go too, Akane,'' Mai said, and her roommate nodded happily in response.

* * *

><p>After a satisfying breakfast, both Mai and Akane were on their way to their first class, deeply engaged in a conversation.<p>

''I just really hope nobody will stare at me like yesterday,'' Mai said, inertly shuddering at the thought.

''Aww, Mai-chan,'' Akane pouted. ''They are just curious. I am sure the class will absolutely love you!''

''M-Maybe,'' Mai blushed at the sudden excitement of her friend.

She walked up to the class door and slid it open, but what happened next was not something any of these two could predict. Mai had barely stepped into the classroom when she was practically surrounded by excited, squealing and giggling girls.

''Tokiha-chan!''

''Mai-san!''

''You are so extremely lucky!''

''Will you tell us how you met Shizuru-sama?!''

''Eeek! I am so jealous!''

Mai was forced to back away.

''I…we…uh…'' she stuttered, lacking the appropriate words, and, needless to say, she was completely flabbergasted by this entire situation.

''W-We are not – ''

''This is so adorable!''

''Kyaa!''

''I want to be in her place!''

''That is so –''

The chaos and clatter immediately stopped as sound of somebody banging on a table resonated through the room, and everybody turned to see what the source of that was, only to see a rather angry Akira Okuzaki standing up from her seat.

''You all have a lot of nerve, I have to say!'' she exclaimed, staring at the bunch of girls who now were as quiet as mice. ''Do you have any shame at all?! A girl arrives to class, and what do you all do? Bombard her with personal questions!''

Mai sighed with relief when she noticed that class had finally calmed down. Either the angry outburst made them feel ashamed or Akira's rather attractive persona was enough of a distraction for them. The class turned into barely audible whispers and murmurs of ''Wow, Okuzaki-san sure has a voice!'' and ''I'll admit, that was quite attractive…''

''Are you okay?'' Akira now spoke to her in a much calmer voice.

''Yes,'' Mai nodded and quickly occupied a table right in front of Akira. ''Do you mind if I sit here?''

''Ah, not at all,'' the green-haired girl replied, a small smile appearing on her lips, and Mai felt extremely relieved. She was extremely grateful Akira had stepped in, and she felt much better already and could concentrate on her lessons at last.

* * *

><p><strong>I bet nobody was expecting a continuation after such a hiatus.<strong>

**I must sincerely thank everybody who was patient enough to wait. I had some technical difficulties, it was a miracle I even recovered the main file of this fanfiction. Also, university life is not easy. I will continue this story no matter what, but I really can't promise a decent schedule of updates, as my life is currently a mess I am having trouble dealing with. I am having some health issues, plus I am working hard on my own books, and those are my priority 99% of the time, as I actually have an editing team I must keep in check, and they can't really do their job if I don't provide material to edit. **

**I know a bunch of you love this story. I am happy to hear that! I also love it, and I promise it will have a decent finale. However, as it is now, I can't promise you regularity, especially not in my current state. So, please, be very, very patient with me.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And don't forget to comment, favourite and share if you wish to do so. Any of that makes my day.**


	12. Chapter 3: The road of high hopes (p4)

**Chapter 3: The road of high hopes**

**(part 4)**

Classes ended, and Mai let out a relieved sigh as the last bell of the day rang, and they were finally free to go.

''Mai-chan, would you like to go to the cafeteria with me?'' Akane asked, her voice full of hope, and Mai couldn't really bring herself to refuse.

''Of course,'' she nodded. ''We have so much time until dinner, we might as well drink some tea or eat a dessert.''

''The cakes down there are wonderful!''

* * *

><p>''What do you recommend, then?'' Mai asked her cheerful roommate, who seemed to be humming a song.<p>

''It all depends on what you like, really,'' Akane replied, clearly in a good mood. ''My favourite is chocolate mocha cake, though! I love it!''

''I see…'' Mai said as her gaze started to wander through the wide array of sweets. The cafeteria had so many different types of cake – red velvet, chocolate, carrot cake…and not only that. There were a whole bunch of puddings, chocolates, muffins, candies and other sugar-containing foods to try.

''_This is so crazy!''_ the orange-haired girl thought. Her head was getting dizzy from trying to take in all of this colourful sugar-filled paradise before her eyes.

After deciding upon a slice of carrot cake and some tea, Mai paid and started to look around. The place was rather crowded – it seemed like most of students really enjoyed their afternoon sweets before heading off to their after-school studies or interest clubs.

Among all of them, Mai spotted a couple of familiar faces.

''Ah, look, everybody is here,'' Akane said, standing right beside Mai. ''Even Fujino-san.''

And Akane wasn't wrong at all – the beautiful hazel-haired angel was indeed there, surrounded in what could be only described as a ''circle of fangirls''. Everybody seemed so happy, like standing next to Shizuru was the best thing that could ever happen to somebody, and the center of all this attention didn't mind it one bit. In fact, she was rather elegantly conversing with these girls, majestically drinking her beverage and enjoying a fruit tart. She was engulfed in an aura of adoration, it was clear that she was the most popular person around here, and if the mountain of presents on her desk wasn't a proof of this, then Mai didn't know what was.

''Ara, my dears,'' she heard the Patroness speak, ''your presents are much appreciated, but how am I going to carry them?'' her laugh sounded like a clear bell.

''F-Fujino-san!'' one of the girls spoke up. ''Allow us to carry them to your room!''

''Yes! Please, allow us!'' most, if not all of surrounding girls immediately agreed with overflowing enthusiasm.

''If it's not too much of a bother,'' Shizuru flashed a captivating smile that made every single person in a few foot radius around her blush. ''Ara, I apologize for not being able to accompany you. My piano practice will start soon. If you just left them outside my room, I would appreciate that, ara~''

Naturally, that was met with nods and agreements, and soon enough the table and space around Shizuru was clean. She stood up and looked around, only to notice Mai looking at her. A smile graced her wonderful lips, and she waved at the flustered lavender-eyed cutie, then picked up her food tray and carried it to the counter. After that, she picked up her things, and one more smile was devoted to Mai before the Patroness left the room.

"_I…"_ Mai felt her brain slowly melting, until Akane snapped her out of her trance.

''Mai-chan, there! I think we should be able to join Arika-chan and others over there!'' she pointed at a table near a window, and the said spot truly was occupied by the trio of young girls, who appeared to be conversing about something rather passionately.

''Mind if we join in, girls?'' Akane asked once she was close enough to them.

''Mai! Akane!'' Arika exclaimed. ''You are here, too!''

She then moved to create more space for the two girls.

''So, how was your day, then?'' Mai asked. ''I see that Arika is doing absolutely fine,'' she couldn't help but smile as she said that.

''That's true,'' Erstin added with a small giggle.

''Yep!'' Arika nodded vigorously. ''I'm totally cool!'' she grinned rather proudly, although seconds after that her thoughts wandered off. ''Hey, I'm going to grab some sweets, okay?''

Nina raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

''Arika, any more sweets and you'll have more sugar than blood in your system, I swear,'' the girl said.

Arika pouted.

''Hey, that's not true! And besides, these are not for me!''

''Oh?'' Nina was skeptical.

''Aww, is Arika-chan trying to impress someone?'' Akane teased slightly.

''Tee-hee, '' the addressed girl grinned sheepishly. ''I was just thinking about Tomoe-chan. I had invited her to join us, but she said she had to study. Boy, it must be boring as heck – being in the library with no sweets, I mean!'' Everybody wholeheartedly laughed at that statement. ''So yeah, I am actually going to bring her some tasty things. That will cheer her up!''

And with that said, she was off to pick some sugar delights for her roommate.

''Arika-chan sure is enthusiastic,'' Erstin laughed.

''Tell me about it,'' Nina sighed. ''I don't envy Tomoe one bit.''

Akane smiled and ate a piece of her cake.

''Well, at least everybody is doing fine,'' she said. ''Anything else to tell us?''

''Not really,'' Nina replied. ''Not much happened today. French is going to be hellish, I can feel it.''

''Don't tell me you have Miss Maria teaching you French.''

''We do,'' Erstin said. ''She is very strict.''

Mai sighed.

''_Yeah, Erstin… You don't want to get on the wrong side of her…''_ She chased away the memories of the lecture Miss Maria gave her about curfew hours.

''I like the Science teacher, though,'' the blonde girl continued. ''Irina Woods, I believe her name is. Very enthusiastic about her subject.''

''I haven't seen her yet, we have Science tomorrow,'' Mai added. ''Although, in my opinion, nothing beats the cheer and energy of our History teacher.''

''Ah, Sugiura-sensei?'' Nina nodded. ''I see what you mean. However, she doesn't really strike me as the teaching type, I have to be honest.''

''Oh, don't judge her just yet,'' Akane frowned. ''It is true that Midori-sensei is hyperactive, but you will find that she is probably one of the best and nicest teachers that you'll meet here. And, besides,'' she ate the final bite of her cake, ''it is a nice change from teachers who present History as something unbearably boring.''

''Can't argue with that,'' Nina shrugged, not even entirely sure why they were having this argument.

The talk about teachers continued for some time, briefly interrupted by Arika returning with what seemed about 5 kilograms of candy. It seemed like girls shared most of the teachers: Miss Maria (French), Irina Woods (Science), Midori Sugiura (History), Yukariko Steinberg (Literature), Arashi Homura (English), Mahya Blythe (Biology), Anh Luu (Music), Fran Wang (Arts), Elliot Chandler (Housekeeping) and Fiar Grosse (Maths).

''Your mother is one of the teachers?'' Mai asked Nina.

''Wow, you must excel at drawing, then,'' Akane added, rather impressed, and Nina frowned, clearly displeased.

''You would be surprised at how unexplainably horrible I am at anything even remotely related to art,'' she said. ''I am more of a … Maths person, I guess. Erstin is your person for all the creative needs.''

''N-Not really,'' the shy blonde stuttered. ''I am not bad at drawing, but my favourite subject is Literature.''

''Books are extremely satisfying, aren't they?'' Akane smiled at Erstin, and the girl smiled back in return.

''Ugh, really?'' Arika grunted. ''Anything related to Maths is unbearable, and Literature doesn't seem like much fun, either…''

''You say that because you fail at everything,'' Nina casually replied, and that didn't exactly make Arika happy.

''Hey!'' she exclaimed. ''That's not true! Luu-sensei said I was good!''

''Ah, you had music today?'' Akane asked, and received a vigorous nod in return.

''We had a singing practice,'' Nina replied with a sigh.

''Yep!'' Arika smiled. ''I was singing!''

''I would rather define that as ''screeching'', myself,'' Nina commented indifferently, however, her mouth twisted into a sneer as she felt Arika kick her leg under the table rather passionately.

''You're no professional at it, either!'' Arika pouted. ''In fact, you almost swallowed your tongue while trying to sing!''

The sneer on Nina's face was gone, and was now replaced by embarrassment in form of a blush, and it was now Arika's turn to feel a kick to her leg.

''Whatever,'' the dark-haired girl mumbled and proceed to drink her juice, as if this conversation had never occurred in the first place.

''N-Nina-chan, Arika-chan, please, don't argue…'' Erstin said, rather worried. She really didn't want her two friends to fight. ''You were actually quite good today at that singing practice, Arika-chan. And Nina-chan wasn't bad, either.''

''Thanks, Ers-chan,'' Arika seemed happier. ''You're a true friend. Unlike certain somebody that I know…'' And an intense glare was sent in Nina's direction, which made the said girl roll her eyes and amused everybody else present.


	13. Chapter 3: The road of high hopes (p5)

**Chapter 3**

**(part 5)**

* * *

><p>Chatting and eating continued into dinner time, only now they weren't in the sunny cafeteria anymore, but in the fancy dining hall, enjoying a nice meal, and Mai could honestly say she was having a good time. They were joined by Akira and Tomoe, and even though Mai could tell the teal-haired girl was feeling awkward surrounded by so many unfamiliar people (and overly enthusiastic Arika), she was not unpleasant to be around. In fact, Tomoe presented herself as a smart, calm and intelligent girl, and could possibly be a positive influence for Arika, who tended to be quite the opposite of her stoic roommate. And, to be honest, Mai was happy to finally meet Tomoe officially, as opposed to just seeing her briefly.<p>

Across the room, Sara was stealthily observing her surroundings. Mai seemed to be fine, and Shizuru was surprisingly normal, even though she finished dining sooner than usual, so Garderobe's Student Council President decided to take it easy for now, especially considering how quiet it was.

''Did something happen to Haruka-san?'' she asked Yukino, who seemed to be just as confused.

''I have no idea, actually,'' the cherry-haired girl informed her. ''I thought Haruka-chan would be here already. She usually is…''

Yukino frowned, unsure what to think of her best friend's sudden disappearance, and Sara immediately felt guilty for worrying the shy girl.

''_I am probably not helping much,''_ she thought as she picked up her bag and opened it. Inside, lying on top of her school books was a small tray of muffins, which she baked herself (although that was a closely guarded secret). No muffins were as fine as these, and she knew people would be ready to kill just to know where she gets these, especially a certain blue-eyed enthusiastic best friend of Chie Hallard.

''Please, Yukino-san,'' Sara said as she placed her tray on the table. ''Maybe she got held up by something. You know how she is…''

''Yeah…'' Yukino sighed. ''It's just not like her at all.''

''I agree,'' the blonde nodded. ''Still, she can probably take care of herself,'' she said, opening her tray and handing Yukino a piece of her baking mastery. ''Muffin, Yukino-san?''

The offer was met by a smile and a nod.

''Thank you, Sara-san,'' she accepted the muffin.

The conversation turned into silence after that, and Sara returned to observing people. A lot of them had finished eating already, and the rest remained there to chat with their friends and talk about their school days. It was rather idyllic, really, and everybody seemed to be having a nice time.

That is, until the rather furious Haruka Armitage finally decided to make her appearance.

She stomped over to their table and sat down, and overall she seemed to be her usual self, but Sara immediately noticed that fire in her topaz eyes, indicating that Haruka was ready to snap somebody's neck, and Sara hoped it won't be her.

''Ah, here you are, Haruka-chan,'' Yukino started the conversation with a smile. ''We were getting a little bit worried.''

Sara didn't really approve of Yukino's ''we'' usage, as she wasn't nearly as worried about Haruka as Yukino was, but she nodded along.

''It's true, it was unusual, dining without your presence here.''

''My apologies,'' Armitage huffed. ''We had a meeting.''

''Windbloom's Student Council had a unplanned meeting?'' Yukino asked, surprised. ''Why? Did something happen?''

''What, what...Juliet Nao Zhang happened, that's what.'' Haruka said, cutting her steak rather agressively. ''That idiot caused an uproar by announcing that she is leaving the choir.''

That surprised even Sara.

''You can't be serious,'' she said.

''Do I look like I'm joking, Sara-san?'' Haruka sent her a glare.

''N-No, no, Haruka-chan,'' Yukino interferred quickly, ''we are just very surprised by all of this.''

''Tell me about it,'' the honey blonde chewed on her steak.

''I take it that Luu-sensei didn't like the news?'' Sara asked and received a nod in return.

''It's understandable,'' Yukino sighed. ''Nao-san excels at anything related to music, especially singing. It can't be joyous – to suddenly lose your main solist.''

''If that causes more problems, I am seriously going to strangle her...'' Haruka said, and Sara flinched at the sound of her fork being snapped into half, ''WITH MY OWN HANDS!''

''Please, Haruka-chan...'' Yukino tried to calm her best friend.

''Honestly! HONESTLY!'' Haruka continued, regardless. ''What would honestly process her to act like that?!''

''D-Don't you mean ''possess'', H-Haruka-chan...?''

''WHATEVER!'' Haruka shouted, nearly scaring the life out of Yukino. ''She didn't even show up at the meeting!''

''I am not surprised, Haruka-san,'' Sara politely interrupted. ''Maybe she has personal reasons for leaving. It is not really our place to intrude, even though that is unfortunate.''

''Personal reasons? It's Nao we're talking about,'' Haruka huffed, displeased.

''I know,'' Sara agreed, ''but there isn't much that can be done.''

She offered Haruka a muffin, which was accepted rather reluctantly, but it seemed to calm her temper ever so slightly, and Sara received a grateful smile from Yukino.

''_Well, there's one good deed done, I guess,''_ she thought.

* * *

><p>It was some time after dinner that Nao made her return to the academy. The sky was getting darker and darker, with the first stars of the evening visible behind the misty rays of the evening sun.<p>

The red-haired girl climbed over the fence as quietly as she could and landed (rather gracefully) behind some bushes. Everything seemed quiet, the area around the school's greenhouse was barren and empty, and Zhang was ready to jump out of her hiding place and make a run for the dormitory building, but sudden opening of the greenhouse doors made her duck behind the bush. She stayed silent and parted the branches ever so slightly, making sure to stay out of sight.

She saw Shizuru Fujino standing near a table outside, observing boxes with flowers. The hazel-haired was calm as ever and seemed to be uninterested by the surrounding world, even though she raised her head a couple of times to look at the bush the redhead was hiding behind.

''_Damn you, Shizuru,''_ Nao mentally cursed. _''Just go away already!''_

''Good evening, Nao-san,'' The Patroness finally spoke up, and the addressed girl decided it would be pointless to hide any longer, so she stood up and straightened her clothes before heading over to her.

''Hi, Fujino.''

''I hope you are aware that both Haruka-san and Miss Maria were looking for you?''

_Shit._ She was expecting Armitage to chase her around, demanding some answers, but having Miss Maria looking for you was legitimately scary.

''What's up with Miss Maria?'' she asked, not sure what to think of this.

''Well, it's not that hard to notice the fact that you have been missing at dinner, possibly because of wandering outside after curfew hours,'' Shizuru added in a rather casual manner.

''Who says I was wandering around?'' Nao was on her guard again.

''Please,'' the hazel-haired sighed. ''Were you spying on me, then?''

''You wish.'' Nao sneered. ''Maybe I was waiting for somebody.''

''Ara,'' Shizuru seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. ''Secret dates? I never would have guessed you were interested in such a thing. Who is the lucky lady, then? The cool and flirty Chie? The mysterious and out-of-reach Laura? One of the first years? Or maybe...'' she paused for more dramatic effect, ''Miss Pink Spirals?''

''...wait, what? Shiho?'' Zhang instantly made a disgusted face, earning a laugh from the other girl. ''I'd rather spy on you, then.''

''I am flattered,'' Shizuru replied cooly. ''You're not that pathetic, then.''

''Thanks,'' Zhang doubted that was a compliment, but decided to take it anyway.

''Follow me,'' Fujino spoke again after picking up a box, and Nao obeyed, not even knowing why.

Shizuru placed the box away and invited her guest to sit at a table, where a pot of tea was still warm. The greenhouse was filled with colourful flowers, and a small fountain was located in the middle of it. The rays of setting sun played between the flowery paradise, creating an odd, almost romantic atmosphere, although ''romantic'' probably wasn't the right word.

''Would you like some sandwiches, Nao-san?''

''_I am starving, actually,''_ Nao thought as she sat on a chair, _''but it's not like I can just accept food from her.''_

''I have a whole bunch of them,'' Shizuru continued and placed a rather pretty pink box on the table. ''I can't possibly eat them all.''

''Since when is having an abundance of food a problem?'' Nao asked, mildly curious.

''When you have to throw away half of it?''

''Fair point,'' the redhead agreed. ''Alright, then, I'll have some.''

It was mostly quiet. Shizuru worked with her plants, occasionally asking some questions, and Nao keeping the small talk going in-between her sandwich bites and tea sips. Eventually, however, the job of arranging and sorting flowers was finished, and Shizuru escorted her guest to the dormitory, where they were met by Miss Maria, who had a fair share of questions.

''My apologies, Miss Maria,'' Shizuru bowed to her. ''I claim full responsibility, as it was I who asked Nao-chan to assist me in my work at the greenhouse.''

''Is that so?'' Miss Maria looked at them quite sternly.

''It's...it was my pleasure, Fujino-san,'' Nao didn't expect for Shizuru to cover for her, but went along with it anyway.

''I see,'' Miss Maria said after a moment of silence. ''Miss Zhang, see that you talk to Miss Armitage as soon as possible.''

''I will do that, thank you,'' the addressed girl said, and they both were set free to go to their rooms.

''Thank you.'' Nao said as they walked up the staircase to the second floor.

''Ara, it's nothing,'' the crimson-eyed girl chuckled. ''If you're interested, I could also supply you with my excess food, not just cover stories.''

''...Sure,'' Nao shrugged. She didn't see a point in declining such an offer.

* * *

><p>After that, the red-haired troublemaker found a sandwich and other food-related stuff package neatly placed next to her door almost every day.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Yay for chapter 3 finale! (At last!) I am already working on the next bits, so stay tuned! As usual, thank you for reading. It's much appreciated.<strong>


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